The Partner Revealed
by sweetimagines
Summary: A sleepless night ends up furthering Jughead's investigation on the murder of Jason Blossom and he ends up having an unexpected night with an acquaintance.
1. Chapter 1

**Word count:** 1061

 **A/N:** This is my first series, originally from Tumblr serpent-jugheadjones. Huge thanks to jugheadxreaderinyourhead for the title, the description and all your patience ?

* * *

Lying in bed he looks at the clock on the small improvised bedside table. 1.17 am. He turns his eyes to the ceiling again. He's used to sleepless nights, but this in unlike any other. Too many questions left unanswered. Knowing he wouldn't be able to fall asleep, he decides to try and answer them.

He gets up with his destination settled: Sweet Water River. "There's gotta be something they missed", he thinks as his feet guide him automatically through the streets, letting his mind wander free, thinking up every scenario, every suspect.

He reaches the edge of the river, where Jason Blossom's body was found, getting down to his knee in order to get a closer look. He realizes the idea to look for clues in the dead of night may not have been the smartest one. His hand travels to his back pocket and draws his phone out to turn the flashlight on, hoping it would shed some light into the situation.

"You're not gonna find anything." He strangles a frightened scream and turns the light to whoever also had the brilliant idea to come to a murder scene in the middle of the night. "Y/N! What the hell? You almost scared me to death." He says panting and lowering the light from her face as he relievedly recognizes the girl in front of him. She puts her hands over her eyes and squints them shut, trying to block the light. "Sorry, Jughead. Should've removed my invisibility cloak before you walked right past me." she replied ironically. "We don't need another body in the morgue." He's not surprised by her wittiness.

Despite living in the same small town and attending the same pathetic school, they don't talk much, but he usually notices her quick responses every time Reggie is an ass. "What are you doing here?", he asks impulsively, not realizing she could have asked him that as well. "I'm not morbid or anything", she says defensively, crossing her arms. "I come here whenever I can't sleep. The river is soothing." He chuckles. "Yeah, there's something serene about the waters in which a teenager was found shot."

He realizes he made her uncomfortable. He's not sure if it's because he offended her or if she's sad about Jason. "Aren't you gonna ask me why I'm here?", he tries to minimize the damage. For some reason, he doesn't like the effect his words had on her.

She looks at him dead in the eye and walks closer. "I know why you're here: you're sleuthing. For your novel." She goes towards the very spot where Jason's body lied lifeless not too long before."How do you know?" He's perplexed. He hasn't told anyone. "I see you at Pop's." A deep silence follows.

"She sees me? Why would she?" "You won't find anything here", she says, snapping Jughead back to the topic. "Why not?", he asks suspiciously. "He wasn't killed here.", she remarks, making him believe even more that she could be involved in the crime. "What makes you so sur…", she cuts him off, vomiting the words. "His body was preserved. Week-old wounds looked fresh. It was dropped here."

Now he's having mixed thoughts."How could this girl hurt anyone, after all? But then again, how can she know so much?" Jughead suggests they head to Pop's, the only safe place to further discuss her theory at that time, way better than remaining in a crime scene knowing a killer is on the loose. She agrees kinda reluctantly.

* * *

After placing their order, they seat on the far corner booth, Jughead's usual. "Why should I trust the autopsy of a 16-year-old?", he shoots, making her express her contempt with a grimace. "Dammit! Why do I care if I'm rude at her? She may be a killer!" Y/N can see doubt in his eyes, mainly because she also has her own. "Why should I trust the detecting skills of a 15-year-old?" She shoots back. "Fair enough." "How does she know things about me? I'm the one who should have intel!"

Their chocolate milkshake and fries arrive with a smile from Pop. It's not the first time they are both in the diner at that hour, but they had never shared a meal before. Jughead is angry at himself for all the times he should've noticed her noticing him but he was too focused on his laptop to even look up.

"The real question is not where he died, but why." He doesn't make a sound, knowing she's right and rather annoyed he didn't come up with that. "Why then?" He's expecting she'll know the answer or maybe somehow confess. "I don't know. That's why you're here too, isn't it?" He starts to believe her innocence.

"You're suggesting we work together?" He gives her a smart look, because either way he's doing the right thing - if she's not involved, they can hang out; if she is, keep your enemies closer, right? "Yeah, maybe it's for the best. We'll get answers faster." Jughead would really love to be 100% sure she had nothing to do with the murder, but he barely reached a third of the way. "How do I know you didn't do it and you're just trying to lead me the other way?" She takes the last sip of her milkshake. "You don't." Y/N looks at the clock, getting up from the booth. "I should go." He doesn't want her to. Until she said she was leaving, he hadn't noticed how good it felt not being alone. "I'll walk you." He's desperately trying to keep her company for just a little longer. She refuses, but he uses the "There's a killer on the loose" card to make her change her mind.

After he drops her off at her doorstep, he goes back to the Drive-In, his thoughts wandering free once again, this time not about Jason Blossom, but about Y/N Y/L/N, clueless about the reason why he can't think of anything else but her. Before falling asleep, his lips formed a smile knowing he'd see her again the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Word count:** 1290

 **A/N:** This part is the reader's point of view of the first part. Going forward I wanna write both povs in one part. Please let me know what you wanna see in this series.

* * *

Her desk is full of freshman-year papers reminding her of all the research and writing she will have to do that year There are books screaming to be read, extra curricular work to make her college applications shine, and a week worth of homework waiting to be done. Being a sophomore honer student isn't that great.

She can't focus on her own thoughts, staring at everything motionless for way too long. She stands up from her chair, grabs a jacket and leaves her house through her bedroom window, making the least amount of noise possible not to wake her parents.

She finds herself at Sweet Water River, the usual place she goes on restless nights, before she realizes it's been stained by blood. She remembers the commotion after the Back-to-School semi-formal (which she didn't attend) when Kevin, the Sheriff's son, found a lifeless Jason Blossom with a gunshot wound to his forehead, instead of the assumed drowning on July 4th. Chills take over her body as if she were witnessing the murder.

It's no longer a comforting place and she quickly realizes she's not safe there when she hears footsteps coming towards her. Instead of running or screaming, she just freezes, focusing her eyes on the foggy silhouette of the person heading her way. Thankfully, she recognizes Jughead Jones, the beanie-clad boy she watches sitting alone, writing late at night on a Pop's booth. She's no longer scared. Another feeling takes place, a kind of edginess, since he's not a threat, but an interest. There's also some frustration, because every time she wanted to get close to him and start a conversation, something stopped her. She couldn't quite put her hands on it.

He slouches down. She knows what he's doing, and that it's a waste of time. "You're not gonna find anything.", she says, knowing only then she should've approached him before speaking as his flashlight shines on her face. "Y/N. What the hell? You almost scared me to death." She wants to apologize and say she's just nervous around him, that she always thought they could be good friends. "Sorry, Jughead. Should've removed my invisibility cloak before you walked right past me. We don't need another body in the morgue.", she says, cursing herself inside.

"What are you doing here?", he asked her abruptly. _"Crap, I wanted us to be friends, but the first time I get the chance to talk to him, I'm a jerk, and now he's gonna know how weird I am."_ She crosses her arms."I'm not morbid or anything.", she tries to explain she's not that creepy. "I come here whenever I can't sleep. The river is soothing." She remembers all the nights she spent throwing rocks at the water when schoolwork was too heavy. He chuckles. "Yeah, there's something serene about the waters in which a teenager was found shot " She's now sure he thinks she's a freak.

"Aren't you gonna ask me why I'm here?", he asks softly. She looks at him straight in the eyes and her feet guide her closer to where he stands. She can't even fight it - his green eyes are like magnets. "I know why you're here, sleuthing. For your novel." She's a few inches from his face, noticing his freckles. "How do you know?" She considers saying someone told her not to admit she pays a little too much attention to him. "I see you at Pop's.", she confesses.

Jughead becomes silent for a while, more than she's comfortable with. Her heart starts beating faster. "You won't find anything here." She tries to change the subject back to Jason, so he won't have enough time to consider her last sentence. "Why not?", he asks showing a lot of suspicion in his words. "He wasn't killed here.", she states what she thinks is obvious. "What makes you so sur…" She doesn't wait for him to finish his question. "His body was preserved, Week old wounds looked fresh. It was dropped here." Another deep silence falls between them. _"Now he DEFINITELY thinks I'm a psychopath."_

When he suggests going to Pop's, her first instinct is to accept the idea. It's exactly what she's always wanted, after all. Getting to know him for real, not just assuming things from afar. On second thought, maybe his not on the same page. " _Everyone is a suspect. He just wants to interrogate me._ " She finally agrees, having nothing to lose, as she didn't kill Jason Blossom.

* * *

They order their usual. "Chocolate milkshake and fries, please." She blushes lightly as they speak it in unison. Her body started forming a smile, but her mind wouldn't let it happen. She slides in front of Jughead on his regular booth for the first time. "Why should I trust the autopsy of a 16-year-old?", he takes her aback. With a scowl, she shows all her disgust. Y/N doesn't like the doubt in his eyes, although she also has her own. "Why should I trust the detecting skills of a 15-year-old?" She hits back. _"Now he's gonna think I'm obsessed with him to know he's younger than me. And he's probably right."_ It's definitely been an educational night. "Fair enough."

Their food arrives and she smiles back at Pop, thanking him. Going to a crime scene in the middle of the night totally payed off now that she was sharing a meal with the one person she wanted to. "The real question is not where he died, but why." All they can her for a moment is their chewing. "Why then?" He'll have to find out by himself, for she's very good at asking questions, not answering them. "I don't know. That's why you're here too, isn't it?" She notices his face getting less skeptical.

"You're suggesting we work together?" She hadn't considered that until then. "Yeah, maybe it's for the best. We'll get answers faster." They could find peace from knowing what happened and she would be able to spend time with someone, even better, with him. "How do I know you didn't do it and you're just trying to lead me the other way?" She sips the last drops from her milkshake before answering. "You don't." She's not mad at him for asking. It would unquestionably be absolutely terrific if he hadn't put her into that position, but she feels uncommonly understanding, specially with the latest events and everything proving to be untrustworthy. "I should go." She doesn't want this moment to end, but when she looks at the clock, she can't pretend she doesn't have school in the morning.

"I'll walk you." She smiles at his eagerness to take her home. "There's a killer on the loose" He adds, making her wonder if his only reason was preventing her to die too. She likes it anyways. Her short walks home from Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe were usually quiet and lifeless. That night, she had stimulating conversations, not only about Jason but their common interests. "See you tomorrow, Jughead?", she asks as they arrive at her doorstep. "Tomorrow, Y/N." He replies with a smirk before taking his path home.

She gets dressed for bed. She can't help but grinning while she remembers the last few hours. She not only managed to speak to Jughead, she also sat with him at Pop's and made sure more hang-outs would take place as they investigate a murder. With that in mind, she falls asleep, leaving homework undone for the first time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warnings:** Bullying

 **Word count:** 3396

 **A/N:** My notes are out of date...

* * *

 **Jughead's point of view**

Jughead gets up refreshed that morning. He couldn't sleep many hours, but the ones he managed to were serene, the very word Y/N used to describe Sweet Water River the previous night. He has so much to write after what he considers to be his best moment in ages! He lets his fingers work fast and his mind even faster, for he would have to move from one Twilight Zone to another – the drive-in to school – pretty soon.

He walks through the halls of Riverdale High just thinking about the latest lines of his novel, imagining several possible ways in which those pages could unfold. He's wondering what role Y/N will play in that story, looking for her face on everyone else's. Jughead is bitterly disappointed in himself because he never remembered to ask for her phone number. His mind is brought back to the present as he spots Archie standing by Jason's locker, now a memorial site. He really wants to work things out, so he tries to start a conversation with some of his usual sardonic humor, making a joke about Jason. However, it has a bad impact on his friend, and the awkward atmosphere between them continues.

* * *

Jughead walks into his Biology classroom with Principal Weatherbee and Sheriff Keller's announcement still fresh in his mind. " _Most of you already know the details, but your classmate Jason Blossom's body was found late Saturday night. So as of the weekend, Jason's death is now being treated as a homicide. It is an open and ongoing investigation."_ He wants answers just as much as they do and will stop but nothing to find them. He sits in the front, overhearing Cheryl's conversation with her minions, confirming that Jason had fallen into the water. She says like it's the most obvious thing, but Jughead doesn't buy it and takes note to share with Y/N later if or when he sees her. Just as he finishes writing his sentence, the teacher walks in. "Seats, everyone. Pair off, gloves on, scalpels up." He says hurriedly, putting something on the blackboard. Walking right behind him is none other than Y/N Y/L/N. Jughead shouts he wants to be paired with Y/N before his brain even processes the thought, before anyone even has a chance to pick their partners. Archie says he wants to pair up with Cheryl, Veronica practically throws herself at Betty, leaving Kevin to work alongside with Moose, the pair who found Jason's body.

The Y/H/C girl seats on the stool next to his, drops her heavy bag on the desk, opens the zipper and takes her notebook out. "Didn't think we had any classes together.", says a kinda nervous, kinda thrilled novelist who can't help noticing she smells like white chocolate and ginger. "Just Biology, I guess. Didn't make the grade for honors.", she explains. "Here I thought pairing up with you would be a guaranteed pass.", he says playfully. "Sorry Jones, that guy with the gradebook doesn't like me." He looks at her questionably. "I refuse to make dissections. Telling him we are in the 21st century and that kind of teaching is old fashioned didn't seat so well with him.", she says rolling her eyes and taking off her jacket, revealing a biology joke on her shirt, a cell taking a selfie written cell-fie under it. "So I'm gonna have to do all the work?" He points at the frog sitting in front of them. She laughs. "I'll do the theory, you do the practice." Jughead starts dissecting their frog and she looks away, earning a reproving look from their teacher.

As Y/N makes notes on frog anatomy in Jughead's book, he observes her. She's so focused on what she's doing that lines form on her forehead, and he thinks they make her look adorable. "We should go to the Pep Rally together.", he blurts out. She looks up from the book and towards him, puzzled. "Everyone will be there. It's the best time for us to narrow down our list of suspects.", he quickly tries to fix what could've sounded like he was in any way interested in school events that involve jocks and cheerleaders running around. _"Maybe that sounded like I wanted to take her out and now she thinks it's just for my novel. Well done, Jughead."_ He scratches his neck nervously at what she'll say. "I'll meet you under the bleachers." She writes something down on a scrap paper she hands to a now happier Jughead. " _I got her number._ "

He notices how hard it is for her to keep a gag in as they do the assignment, so he discreetely gives her the note containing Cheryl's conversation, in hopes it will make her mind shift from dead open frogs to dead shot people. "Does anything weird come to your mind whenever you think of that holiday? Besides Cheryl lying.", she asks in a low voice, looking around to make sure no one is eavesdropping. "Well, Archie and I were supposed to go on a road trip during the July 4th weekend. But he bailed last minute. I tried talking to him about it before class, but he was… evasive.", he says reluctantly, with some visible bitterness, looking at his friend behind him, afraid to see a suspect instead of a life-long pal, but then again, he wasn't so sure they were still friends after that. "He was also very defensive this morning when I made a joke about skipping PE because I'm grieving Jason." He knew she wouldn't reprehend him for it, unlike Archie. Even not knowing her long enough, he could tell they had similar ways to see and react to things. She even giggles at the thought of Jughead telling Archie a morbid joke. "Archie seems too nice to do it, but we can't be sure. Maybe talk to him? Since you two have a history. I'll stick with Evil Queen Cheryl." He laughs a little too loud, but he's literally saved by the bell ringing and everyone leaving the classroom as fast as they can.

Jughead was once again wandering through the school halls, messenger bag across his chest carrying his laptop and the school book Y/N made notes on, headphones blasting his favorite song, blocking the world. He passes by the music room and sees something so weird that breaks him away form his daydream. His best friend – at least that's what he would call him until last summer – and the music teacher so close they could only be kissing. His mind going 100 miles per hour, he goes straight to Andrews' house to wait for Archie and follow Y/N's advice to talk to him. Now more than ever he needs to understand what's going on; Besides, regardless of the distance that formed between them, he cares about him – a lot. When he finally shows up, Jughead doesn't like the answers he gets. He tries his best to knock some sense into that bonehead, but has to leave declaring defeat. He'd usually head to Pop's to write and eat his body weight on fries but he is terribly wiped and has so much in his mind he knows he won't be able to make a single coherent sentence. He doesn't even remember about Y/N until she shows up holding his hand, slightly touching her lips on his cheek – in his dreams.

 **Y/N's point of view**

Keeping her focus on studying becomes a lot easier after Biology. She doesn't have any other classes with Jughead, and there aren't too many honor students anyways. School hours fly by and her homework pile gets bigger, but all she wants to work on is the case. She looks for Jughead after her last class, unsuccessfully. She heads to Pop's, the only place left she believes he can be found. To no luck. But she does see Veronica and her mom, the new comers from New York, just after Jason supposedly drowned. They aren't the strongest of suspects but Mr. Lodge being in jail makes it wise sticking around to see what she can find out.

She doesn't hear anything worth mentioning, besides the Archie/Veronica drama. Hermione pretty much just does her job, taking orders and delivering them. After it gets boring, mainly because Jughead was a no-show, Y/N leaves.

Y/N finds out she's home alone for a few days. Her parents always leave town without notice, certain that she can take care of herself. The only hint is her dad's car keys gone. _"I just thought that with a murderer on the loose they'd at least let me know._ " That said, she opens the fridge and finds dinner ready to heat up with a note on it: "Back in a couple of days, love mom and dad." A beautiful smile forms in her face. " _There's my note._ "She goes up to her room to finish the homework she started at Pop's while she was waiting for Jughead. It's an essay for her Spanish classes on the book "Pablo Escobar: My Father". After each sentence, she glances at her phone, occasionally pressing the power button to check if Jug texted her, but her eyes only meet her screen background.

* * *

She hasn't seen Jughead all morning. He wasn't at Pop's when she passed by before class, he wasn't in the halls or in any classrooms when she got to school, and they didn't have Biology that day. Y/N thinks she's getting paranoid. _"I mean, we only spoke twice so far! That doesn't make us friends. He doesn't owe me anything."_ While she's lost in those thoughts, walking into the student lounge, a lively conversation is taking place there. Archie, Veronica, Betty, Kevin, and many other northsiders are just listening. Reggie is talking about Sheriff Keller giving him a hard time over Jason's death, but when he sees that bright girl coming in, it's inevitable not to provoke her, not to let his urge to defeat her turn him into an unpleasant caveman. "Maybe Y/N did it?" Everyone laughs. "Bare with me." He ajusts himself on his seat to face her. "She did tutor him. Maybe she fell for him and he didn't crush her back. Obviously, who would?" He looks at her with disgust, making her sigh in anger. "Maybe she snapped and shot him." Some of the guys on the football team were actually falling for his theory. Y/N needs only a few seconds to think of an appropriate answer. "You have a theory strongly based on maybes, don't you? If you had focused on certainties, _maybe_ you could have reached to a plausible conclusion – that Jason's death is much more than a love crime. But how would you, if your neurons are already wasted on football moves?" She looks away from an enraged Reggie and sees Jughead standing by the vending machine, confused. She stares at him, hoping to get some backup, but she's only met with more doubts in his eyes.

Reggie's teammates tease him about her comment, forcing him to try to defeat her. He has another stupid idea. "If a kid at Riverdale killed Jason, it's not gonna be a jock, right?" He trows his football over to Moose, who was laughing the most. "Now let's be honest. Isn't it always some spooky, scrawny, pathetic Internet troll, too busy writing his manifestos to get laid? Some smug, moody, serial killer fanboy freak, like… Jughead?" He turns to him and everyone laughs again. _"Why is picking on us so funny for them? Just because we don't fit in their distorted standards."_ But he does't stop there. "What was it like, Suicide Squad?", he asks and Jughead just shrugs. "When you shot Jason, you didn't do stuff to the body, did you? Like… After?" The whole football team is backing him up. "It's called necrophilia, Reggie, can you spell it?" Juggie wittly answers. She chuckles at his reply before Reggie skillfully jumps over the couch towards him. Fortunately, Archie stops him. "What do you care, Andrews?" Reggie asks demandingly. "Nothing, just leave him alone." Arch is trying to minimize the damage for both him and Jug, but he can't find the words. "Holy crap. Did you and Donnie Darko kill him together? Was it some sort of pervy, blood brother thing?" Hearing that, the red-haired boy loses his temper and jumps at the caveman. Everything turns to chaos, ending with Reggie punching Archie in his eye.

 **Jughead's point of view**

Y/N takes Jughead out of the student lounge before Reggie does anything else. He tries to escape as soon as they get to the hallway, but she grabs his wrist, making him stop and turn to her. "My parents aren't home, we can hang in there till the Pep Rally.", she says in a way he can't deny. "Don't you have any more classes today?", he asks, implying he didn't want her help. "I'll skip." He's taken aback by her determination to help him. He doesn't think she has ever skipped class before.

The walk to her house is dead silent, unlike the previous one. Neither dares to break the silence. Jughead, a prolific writer, is oddly unable to find the words. When they arrive, she hands him a soda can and opens one for herself, pointing him towards the tall stools around the kitchen island. "You tutored Jason?", he finally asks. It isn't the bullying that hurts. He sits down and takes a sip from his soda. "Yeah, last year.", she says softly, not meeting his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" He knows he can't demand anything from her, but he's hurt by finding out from someone else – Reggie of all people. "Didn't think it was relevant." He knows she's right. "Would've been nice to have a heads up." He runs his hand on the strains of hair sticking out of his beanie. "We weren't exactly friendly to each other. I just helped him with his Chemistry assignments a few times. Like I said, irrelevant." They both sip their sodas. They both think that Jason's chemical problems might matter after all, but they don't know how to explain it, so they move on. "I'm sorry, I'm just pissed at Reggie." He looks down at the dark, cold marble table hoping he hasn't ruined the start of something good. "I know." She reaches for his hand and they maintain eye contact for a while. When they stop touching, all he needs is feeling her soft touch again, but he just freezes.

After finishing their drinks, they silently agree to leave everything about that small-brained Reggie behind. Jughead's attention was instantly directed to the living-room shelves the second he got in, so now he has to ask about those shiny DVD covers, his eyes shining even more. "Is this the complete Tarantino filmography?", he points at them. "Me and my dad are obsessed.", she tells him with an excited smile. "What do your parents do?", he asks, trying to understand why they have such a collection. He picks up some of the DVDs to take a closer look. "My mom is a writer. Nothing big published yet, just some magazine articles.". He finds that even more interesting than Quentin's "From Dusk Till Dawn" in his hands. "Dad's a retired surgeon.", she continues, as his focus is back on the shelves, now checking the book bindings. "Retired?", he asks, wondering about his age. "He's not old. He had an accident and his hand got crushed. He can't operate anymore. So now he just consults for other doctors.", she explains. Worried that she may ask about his parents, Juggie quickly finds something else to talk about. "Can I borrow this?", he shows her the book cover. "Metamorphosis? You've never read it?", she asks amazed. "About time, huh?", he's embarassed and they both laugh. "Please take it. Kafka is a must. It's a crime you haven't read it." Damn, he loves the way she deals with words, saying things with multiple meanings. He feels stupid for hiding from her all day over a dream he was afraid could come true. Only now he realizes he actually wants it to happen.

He feels good, like he hasn't for a long time. It's great to be relaxed, not having to watch his back or keep second-guessing someone's sentences. He can just get to know that fascinating girl. In this spirit, Jason's murder doesn't even come up for the rest of the afternoon, as if it didn't happen at all. However, those few hours eventually remind him that he had a life, a dysfunctional but satisfactory one, before the case. As nice as being with Y/N is, he misses his friend, more than he cared to admit, to himself and to Archie.

* * *

They are standing next to the bleachers. The field in front of them is full of Vixens and Dogs. Everything is decorated in blue and gold, the school's colors. Jughead can hear Y/N's voice but he can't make out the words, not because the crowd is making an incredibly loud noise or he's ignoring her, but due to the fact that his attention is solely on Archie, speaking to Miss Grundy. His friend finally approaches. "See you at Pop's later?", she asks, making sure to give them room to talk. Jug just nods, anxious to know what he has to say: Weatherbee will know he heard a gunshot on July 4th. Juggie is immensely relieved and proud, glad to realize they're heading the right way, back to their unique friendship.

 **Y/N Point of view**

She watches everyone from afar, used to doing that since she learned being invisible comes with advantages. But no one is acting guilty or uneasy. "Is it just me or cheerleading is revolting?", she asks out loud, knowing nobody will listen to her. She's ready to leave for Pop's, rolling her eyes at the girls with their high pony tails swaying their hips happily to the song as if a kid, the brother of their leader, hadn't died. Something changes her mind, though. Cheryl running away from the stage, crying her heavy make up out. Y/N follows the red-haired girl as fast as she can, barely keeping up. She stops at the dressing room door and almost walks in. Cheryl is drowned in tears and Veronica's voice is trying to comfort her. "He was supposed to come back.", Cheryl sobs. Y/N hears footsteps coming to their direction and quickly gets out, for she's already a social pariah without being caught sneaking up on Riverdale's elite. But not forgetting to make a mental note to tell Jughead later.

Arriving at the diner, she looks around but doesn't spot Juggie anywhere. She asks at the counter if they've seen him, but no one has. She places her order and proceeds to his usual booth to wait. Every time the shopkeepers bell rings, she looks up at the door, excited to tell him what she heard. A few hours later, when she is finishing her third milkshake, the bell finally signals Jughead entering. Y/N can't help a grin, but he looks to the other side of the diner. Archie walks in right after him. They both stand at the door for a second before making their way to the table Betty and Veronica are sharing. Her grin slowly fades, giving way to an exasperated expression. Jughead doesn't even notice she's there until she gets up to leave. She sees him moving as if he will get up and walk after her, but she's so fast at disappearing it's impossible to check whether he really does it _. "He got his friends back, he doesn't need me anymore."_ That's the only thing in her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Word count:** 3128

 **A/N:** Y/F/F stands for Your Favorite Flavor. Thank you all for the comments asking for more, it hope you enjoy this next part :)

* * *

 **Y/N's point of view**

Y/N wakes up, but stays in bed, not because it's comfortable – it's just her limbs that can't seem to move. She gets up after several minutes of lying down motionless. She looks at her reflection in the mirror glued on the back of her door, eyes puffy and red. "Was I crying?" A little confirmation as she runs her fingers down her wet cheeks.

She's angry, not at him, at herself, for thinking things could be different or that they would change. Her mind wondering why she even likes him. Is it the suspenders? Maybe the 'S' T-shirts? Could be the mystery underneath the crown-shaped beanie? Probably his sardonic humor? Possibly his way with words? Maybe it was everything in one, the combination of it all.

Her thoughts are interrupted by the phone vibrating. Text message:

 **Mom - Where are you?**

 **You - Wasn't feeling good so I stayed in. I'm heading to school now.**

 **Mom - Glad you're ok, let us know if you need anything.**

 **You - Principal Weatherbee called you?**

 **Mom - With everything that happened this summer I'm surprised he isn't already searching for you at the river lol :)**

Y/N laughs at her mom using slang, and knowing who she got her humor from.

Principal Weatherbee is waiting for her when she arrives. He tells her about his worries about the classes she missed - twice in a row - fearing the reason could be 'Mr. Jones'. "I'd hate if your focus on school were deviated." She has to use all her self control not to laugh when he says the boy is not a great influence. She's not sure if it's because he may be completely right or entirely wrong about Jughead. He asks her to wait for the next class at the library.

 **Jughead's point of view**

Jughead can't close his eyes, the guilt is eating him alive. " _How could I have forgotten her?"_ Since that night by the river she has been a constant in his mind. Earlier that day she skipped class to make him feel better and he left her waiting at Pop's only to sit with the friend who left him hanging all summer, a raven-haired girl he only knew by name, and the perfect girl next door. He won't let that be the end of them.

Today is his turn to spend the morning looking for Y/N. Unfortunately, she's quite good at hiding, just like him. But he eventually finds her in the library behind a pile of books, her face buried in an open book. Before even entering the library, he just stands there for a moment, enjoying the way she looks, so peaceful and beautiful. Once he speaks to her, all that can change. He's not used to being this nervous, but there's a lot in stake now.

He gathers his entire courage and don't-give-a-damn attitude to sit in the chair in front of her, the wall of books still separating those young detectives. He moves them away to have a clear view of her face, still deep within what she's reading. "Y/N", he says softly, since she hasn't noticed his presence, or is simply ignoring him. "Hey, Jughead." She's so hurt he can feel that in those few words. It breaks him. "I have to apologize." He gives her a hand-made ticket granting a milkshake, fries and a burger at Pop's. "You don't have to do this." Her words are contradictory to her actions as she holds that single piece of paper with more care than any of her books, so carefully as if it was the most precious thing in the whole universe. "I do, and I want to." His face is showing the desperation for forgiveness.

He's filled with relief when she forgives him, certain that she's not one to hold a grudge. Still, he doesn't plan on ever needing her exoneration ever again. He feels more like himself now, regaining his own confidence. "If you really wanna make it up to me there's something you can do.", she says playfully but seriously at the same time. "You name it." He has a smirk on his face, ready to take on the assignment. "Who's the one person we know was at Sweet Water River on July 4th besides the Blossoms?", she asks rhetorically. " Dilton Doiley and his scouts.", he shoots and she shivers. "Right, so you're gonna talk to him and find out what happened when he found Cheryl.", she whispers, for the librarian was looking kinda angrily at them. "Not to push my luck, but why me?, he asks, trying to understand the girls reaction when he said the scout's name. "The boy freaks me out." Jughead also feels that way, only to a lesser extent. "But don't worry, it's not gonna be all sunshine and rainbows for me. I'm gonna stick with she-Devil Blossom.", Y/N says with a little regret. He thinks it's probably because no one would like to stakeout that crazy cheerleader. "Last night, before you stood…", she stopped for a second. " _…me up_.", he thought sadly. "Cheryl ran off the stage and I heard her talking to Veronica. She said her brother was supposed to come back." It feels as if she understood him finishing her sentence, but they keep on talking about the investigation, probably because it's the best path. "I know it's too movie-plot like, but do you think they could've tried to fake his death so he could skip town?", he asks, already working on 20 different scenarios in his mind, some a little Hitchcockian, others more Lynne Ramsay-like. However, giving the way Jason turned out, it all sounded very plausible.

 **Y/N's point of view**

He helps her put the books back on the shelves, picking up the didactic ones that were piled in front of her earlier. She closes the one she was reading, revealing a Lovecraft cover, earning a smile from Jughead. " _Maybe it's that darn smile that blinds me.",_ she thinks and they make their way to their Biology class. She can't help wondering if he's doing that only to make up for his lapse or he'd do that regardless. Y/N stops her thoughts as she doesn't want to live her life second guessing everyone's actions.

They walk inside and notice some people are already working together, but the pairs are not the same. "We're still lab partners, right?" She gives away to some of her insecurities in that question. "Who else would accept to do all the practice?", he asks in his usual sardonic humor. They sit next to each other and take a look at the board. Their lesson is on the body systems - circulatory, nervous, endocrine, immune and reproductive. Almost everybody else is making jokes about the latter, their books full of bad drawings. Betty, Veronica, Kevin, and Archie exchange looks with them, forming a group not afraid of sex. Astonishingly, the only one not belonging to any party is Cheryl Blossom.

The "fun" is broken when Sheriff Keller shows up at the door to take that red-haired girl in for questioning. After she says "Because I'm guilty.", Jughead and Y/N's eyes follow her being escorted out of class wondering what she meant by her words.

 **Jughead's point of view**

When Jug opens his locker, a note falls out. He hurriedly picks it up, thinking it's from Y/N. His happiness over it is short-lived, because it's from Betty. She asks him to meet her at the Blue and Gold's office.

He obliges and she greets him with a proposition: to write for the school's paper on Jason's murder. He almost refuses, for he's already writing his own novel on it and sleuthing with Y/N, but, after lots of convincing from Betty, he finally accepts. He laughs at his first mission: interrogating Dilton. "It's already in my to-do list.", he shares. Cooper just smiles back.

He's conflicted if he'll tell Y/N about Betty inviting him to write for the paper. Maybe she wouldn't consider it a great idea, and he doesn't want to lose her simply because they're on rocky grounds. Nevertheless, not telling her would certainly mean ending their relationship for good. He decides to only mention it if casual conversation brings it up.

Jug goes to their usual rendezvous, arriving before her. He tries to take the time to write the next paragraph of his novel, but a writer's block prevents him. His brain can't seem to focus on anything other than the Y/H/C girl who's about to meet him there. Also, he's eager to know what she got from detailing Cheryl. He looks away from his screen just as she walks in, noticing for the first time that her clothes hug her body perfectly. It's advisable, though, to think of something else as she approaches.

 **Y/N's point of view**

She enters Pop's and Jughead is already waiting for her with a milkshake, Y/F/F. "So, did you find out?", he asks, closing the lid on his laptop before she even has time to sit down. "Gossip is like a virus and I'm not immune to it." They both laugh at her corny joke. "Turns out your far-fetched theory is right. Jason wanted to fake his death.", she takes a sip from the tall glass containing her favorite drink. "Someone said something about them hearing a gunshot.", Jug adds what he knew from Archie, but couldn't tell her before without outing his friend. "One more reason to talk to Dilton.", she pronounces his name with hesitation. "Ok, you HAVE to tell me your deal with Doiley." He can't help his curiosity any longer. "He's a Master Scout. For him, animal torture is considered a means to mature. I tried talking to him about it once and he ate a bug in front of me, claiming it was survival skills." She's hoping he won't think she's a freak but the look on his face reassures her he understands her point of view.

As they were leaving the diner, they see Veronica in a car with Versety Coach's son, Chuck Clayton. She isn't friends with the Lodge girl, but anyone going out with him is on her pity list. Y/N just wishes there's more to it than it looks like. It'd be perfect if she played the player. A whole plan to unmask him, outing the whole scheme, crosses her mind for a brief moment.

Jughead doesn't even have to insist on walking her home that night. The closer they get, stronger is her wish to live a little more down the road so she could walk with him a bit longer. They say their goodbyes and she goes up to her room in a completely different mood she did the previous night, now knowing Weatherbee was wrong about Jughead. She's scrolling through Instagram when a picture of the couple they spotted earlier shows up, with maple syrup edited over Veronica's face, another victim of the sticky maple. " _Just to think it could have happened to me because I tutored Jason… Thank goodness I always chose a public place with tons of eyewitnesses._ "

 **Jughead's point of view**

He takes his free period to go to the Avengers Scouts headquarters to have a word with the boy he now isn't so fond of, after hearing about Y/N's reasons for not being a fan herself. The fact that he's writing an article for the Blue and Gold gives him freedom to ask questions without sounding snoopy, but Dilton doesn't take it well. Jughead is very direct and precise and would really like Dilton to cooperate, but he keeps budging. One of his scouts flinches at the sight of Jug asking his Master questions. That's definitely something he has to share with Y/N.

 **Text message to Y/N: Meet me at Pop's right after school. Jughead.** He sends it, using the phone number she gave him for the first time, then rushes to the diner.

The booth he was used to being alone at now felt lonely and too silent. He is getting used to sharing it with the chocolate-ginger-smelling girl. The second she walks in he tells her about his plan to talk directly with the scout who flinched - he happens to be at Pop's as well. "Go intimidate the kid and get us some answers.", she instructs when the boy's father leaves the table, probably to use the bathroom. He uses a trick Y/N told him about, of being higher than your subject to show power. He crouches on the seat, taking the cherry from his sundae (he couldn't help himself).

When Jug sits down at his booth again, he has precious intel. "You won't believe it: Dilton fired the shot.", he tells her, trying to figure out a way to get Dilton to confess to it. "I kinda do." She makes a disgusted face.

Y/N invites him to watch a movie at her place to "celebrate" a job well done. He accepts with the condition of him picking the film, and they both laugh as she clearly pretends to take the offer back. Jug realizes he's been laughing a lot more after meeting her – and over not so funny things. They settle on American Psycho and Y/N makes a bowl of pop corn each, as if she knows he will eat one all by himself. He soon finds out she does too. They make themselves comfortable on the soft couch full of fluffy pillows, and Jughead makes sure to sit as close to her as he can without making it obvious, mainly because it's a large piece of furniture.

Jughead's not one to be distracted during movies, being able to marathon the extended trilogy of Lord of the Rings with only two bathroom brakes, but somehow his eyes divert from the TV to the girl sitting next to him. He notices what color her nails are painted, the cute design on her socks, the size of her lips as she mouths the words from the movie. She lays down her head on his shoulder as the movie gets close to ending and he is intoxicated by the smell of chocolate and ginger once again. If he could he would freeze that moment.

 **Y/N's point of view**

Jughead tells her about the Blue and Gold. "That's awesome, Jug." Her face lights up. "You sure? We were doing this before.", he asks and she can feel he doesn't want that to come between them. "Unless this means you're ditching me, it's good. You can use the 'I'm writing a story for the school paper' to investigate without being suspicious.", she says. He looks extremely appeased.

They spend the next couple of days thinking up a plan to get Dilton to confess of firing the gun on July 4th, in addition to enjoying time together. She's thankful in a weird way about what happened, otherwise who knows how much time would pass without them knowing each other. They decide to apply some pressure on him at the Taste of Riverdale event by threatening him to tell Sheriff Keller. Jughead says he'll talk to him alone, so she wouldn't have to face him once more. Y/N likes the way it feels to be protected by the Jones boy.

* * *

She's dressed a little fancier than usual, not too much that she stands out, but not too little that it's eye-catching. Jughead clearly doesn't follow the same line of thought as he sports his regular clothes and the beanie that makes him always stand out. She unquestionably admires his confidence. They slouch at the balcony so they are barely visible, although having a full view of everything happening. They hear a whack and their eyes are directed towards Mrs. Blossom, who clearly has just slapped Mrs. Cooper, quickly walking away. "Ok, I'm gonna see what Alice got from her. You find Doiley.", she has to speak right by his year as the Pussycats start playing. Maybe she didn't HAVE to, but she clearly wanted to. "Alice?", he asks just as close to her ear as she did before, speculating how she got on a first name basis without being friends with Betty. "I had an internship with the Coopers at the Register.", she explains and walks out slowly, leaving Jug wondering what else he doesn't know about her. Bummer is that Alice got slapped over asking for a quote she didn't get. She hopes Juggie has more luck with Dilton.

* * *

She knocks at the Blue and Gold's door. The previous night she got a text from Jug telling her to be there for Dilton's confession. Y/N walks in shyly. "What's she doing here?", Betty asks confused as she was expecting Doiley. "Y/N and I have been investigating this before you asked me to write for the paper. She's a part of this. You want me, you take us both.", Jughead says defensively and Y/N blushes. Bets is reminded about the time Ronnie said that about her on the vixens team but before the blonde has a chance to reply, the culprit arrives and sits at the table in the center. They all gather around him. Now she's sure Betty doesn't mind her being with them, as there is strength in numbers.

The boy isn't there to give them his story for the paper, but to negotiate. Something no one else knows about that day in exchange for his being forgotten. In different circumstances this would've never been accepted, but they are all grasping for information, so they take him up on his offer. Dilton tells them that on July 4th he saw a car by the river's edge, Miss Grundy's car. Everyone knows Archie was at Sweet Water River when he confessed earlier of hearing the same gunshot. Y/N looks at Jug in awe. " _He probably knew about this and didn't tell me_." She doesn't even blame her new friend. After all, she didn't tell him everything about Jason until she had to. She understands that if he did withhold that from her, it was to protect Arch. Although, from now on, nothing he does will shield him because Betty also heard the words the eldritch scout spoke and she seemed truly hurt by them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Word count:** 5384

 **A/N:** Sorry it's such a slow burn. Yep, there's a subtle Supernatural reference… Thank you jugheadxreaderinyourhead for helping me with vocabulary.

* * *

 **Jughead's point of view**

Jughead is woken up by loud noises at the Drive-In. He goes down, still in his boxers, ready to strike in case it's a burglar, but it was just the manager. Seeing him makes Jug feel at ease again, relaxing his muscles, although the fact that the man is putting things in boxes can be a little concerning. "Hey, Jake. What's up?", he asks, puzzled. "Here's your payment, Jughead." The man hands him a thick envelope. "This is a lot more than I earn." He tries to hand him back the envelope, for he might have given him the wrong one. "Oh, you don't know yet. They're shutting down the Drive-In.", Jake says, while throwing his belongings into the cardboard box in a somewhat rough manner. Jughead stays silent with a dumbfounded expression. "It's the month's salary, next week's advance and a little extra for all these years of good work.", Jake explains the amount of money and goes back to packing. "Why?", he simply asks, still thinking it could be a complete joke. "It was bought off.", the man says sadly. Just like for Juggie, that place means a lot to him. "You should read this." Jug takes the letter in his hands with the explanation from the Mayor. He can see the man reminiscing about his youth, talking about how he used to take his dates there, or that he worked at the projection booth douring high school, having managed the Twilight for most of his adult life, just as in many occasions they'd talk about all those things. But it was all going down now.

Jake loads his car with the last of the boxes full of memorabilia and personal objects. He closes the trunk door and shakes Jug's hand, who is now fully dressed, including his beanie. "Take care of yourself, kid.", he says with a lot of weight on his words. Jughead is left standing there, looking at everything like it's both the first and the last time he'll ever do, until the car is no longer visible. He remembers when he started working there and Jake found him sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor, head on his backpack. He was scared to death of being thrown out and fired over it, but the man simply walked out and came back half an hour later with a rollaway bed, a pillow and some blankets he assembled in the projection room without a word. With all that in his mind, he doesn't even have time to think about what Betty found out regarding Archie and what she might do with such information.

He returns to his room and sits down on the bed, staring at the letter for a while, not being able to read past 'It will be demolished'.". His home away from home, the place in which he has had a few happy childhood memories is being torn down. Jughead looks at the envelope containing his last payment and then at the projection room he's been living in for the past 2 years, wondering what the hell he'll do next. He just grabs a jacket and leaves, walking for miles without paying attention to anything. The words from that piece of paper stand out in his mind: anonymous buyer, shut down, scheduled demolition… He adds a few on his own, like jobless and homeless. When this upset boy finally stops to look around, he recognizes the front door he's standing on: Y/N's. " _When did she became the person I go to when I'm in need?_ " he asks himself and turns back. "Jughead!", she shouts. He's already walking away, not wanting to trouble that outstanding girl with that, when he feels her hand holding his. (She's not gonna let him go.) He's actually incredibly thankful she did that. Truth is he doesn't want to be alone in that moment. He's just not good at asking for help.

They walk in still holding hands. "Do you wanna talk about what happened?", she asks, letting go of his hand. "If you don't mind, that's the last thing I wanna talk about.", he answers, missing the warmth of her touch. "I have pizza. Pizza makes anything better.", she says, taking out the box from the fridge and putting it on the pizza pan to heat it up. "Agreed.", he tells her, but what really makes him feel better is seeing her. "Your parents aren't home yet?", he inquires, looking around, noticing pictures of her as a kid on the walls. "No. There was an emergency somewhere, with some patient.", she tells him with little interest. "And they just leave you?" He wonders if that sounded rude. "I'm used to it. To be honest, I enjoy it.", she tells him and he relates to her fondness for being alone, although right now he prefers being with her. "It's my mom that doesn't like it. My dad is the love of her life – she can't stay away from him. But she'd like to be home more often.", Y/N explains and he wonders if his dad was the love of his mom's life; if so, how he stopped being.

The pizza is eaten before any slice even has a chance to cool down. Then they talk for hours, about the first time they watched 'A Clockwork Orange' and could barely blink, their favorite potato chips flavors, how they both love Edgar Allan Poe, some video games they both play and even a little bit about things he wrote before starting the novel. Jughead even forgets about the Drive-In. That girl makes him feel things he never felt before. He's never even had a crush on a fictional character and now all he wants to do is be there, looking at her and hearing her talk about things they love. "I can't help but notice you haven't used the free food ticket I gave you.", he remarks, wondering if she hasn't used it because she's not into him. Besides, it can be the last time he's able to. "Wasn't aware there was an expiration date." They both laugh. "I was saving it for tonight, obviously. Come on, Jones. Buy me dinner.", she says with a confident smile, something he had never seen on that pretty face before, and it matches her. " _It's a date… Did I just say that out loud? No, thank god. Also, did I just call this a date?_ " He rambles in his own mind.

 **Y/N's point of view**

The Chock'lit Shoppe isn't far from her home. Even in the slow speed they're going, it won't take them too long to get there. "Sheriff Keller stopped by this morning, before you.", Y/N tells him as they walk. "He's been going around door to door.", Jughead reports. "He heard about the fight and wanted to know about my involvement with Jason.", she says mockingly, with air quotation marks, immediately noticing a barely perceptible frown on Jug's face. "I told him he should come back another time, when my parents get home. I'm pretty sure he found that suspicious.", the girl adds. "He doesn't have any idea what he's doing. I mean, nothing like that was ever supposed to happen in Riverdale." He stops as the Sheriff drives by them not failing to stare until he was out of sight. "It's starting to look a lot like Salem during the witch trials.", he delivers it eerily and she can see he'll use that in his novel.

They arrive at Pop's parking lot. The red light form the neon sign shading their faces, the amazing smell of food being cooked inside watering their mouths. "Jughead!", someone shouts and they turn around. Betty, Veronica and Kevin are walking towards them. "Hey, guys.", Jughead responds unexcitedly. "And who's this?" Veronica asks curiously. Y/N's just about to answer, detecting Jughead's difficulty in finishing his sentence. He's stuttering on 'she' when Betty finally answers for them. "This is Y/N Y/L/N. She's writing with us at the Blue and Gold.", the blonde reveals and both Veronica and Kevin move on to a different conversation. "Am I?", she inquires with a quite puzzled expression. "Yeah, if you take my offer.", Betty concludes hopefully. "What offer?", Jug asks, even more confused than Y/N. "Betty called me last night inviting me to work with you guys, but I'm not a writer.", she says, expecting that would be the end of it. "Acording to my mother, you are." Betty is not comfortable to bring her parent into the conversation, but she's kinda desperate. "Alice is kind to say that. But if that internship taught me anything, is that I'm not cut out for it." Y/N tells her, remembering how hard she had to work to keep up with the Coopers. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving.", Kevin interrupts, already walking in. "I'm Veronica by the way.", the raven-haired girl introduces herself, shaking Y/N's hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm a fan of the DIY manner you used to deal with the Chuck situation.", Y/N says, observing Betty doesn't take that the same way Ronnie does.

Hermione Lodge comes to take their orders as they sit in a booth. Jughead chooses the place in front of Kevin and Betty quickly sits next to him, leaving both Jug and Y/N wondering if she didn't notice they arrived together for a reason, but neither being able to tell the girl. Veronica is already sitting next to Kev, so Y/N finds a chair to sit at the corner of the table, felling a bit left out. "So sorry about the Drive-In, Jughead.", Kevin says, taking a sip from his soda. "What about it?", Veronica asks indifferently, like she's just making conversation. "They're shutting down and demolishing it.", Kevin explains, as if it was some simple small town gossip. "The Drive-In closing is just one more nail in the coffin that is Riverdale… No, forget Riverdale, in the coffin of the American dream." Juggie sounds as if he was holding that in all day and now she knows why he looked so doom and gloom earlier. Y/N has a hard time processing the news but doesn't fail to notice how poetic Jug is, even with the saddest of things. "This doesn't make any sense.", she agrees. The Drive-In is where she'd go with her father to watch cult movies and then they'd discuss their opinions afterwards at Pop's. She can't imagine that special place not existing anymore. "As the godfather of indie cinema, Quentin Tarantino, likes to say…" Jughead starts, but is cut off by Kevin. "Please, God, no more Quentin Tarantino references." Y/N definitely doesn't feel the same way as Kevin over Tarantino references. "What? I'm pissed. Not just about losing my job, the Twilight Drive-In should mean something to us. We should be trying to save it.", Jughead claims desperately and Y/N is just about to back him up. "In this age of Netflix and VOD, do people really want to watch a movie in a car? I mean, who even goes there?", Veronica asks rhetorically, making Y/N look at her with contempt, wanting to prove her wrong. "Me." Y/N starts saying, but is cut off by Kevin, who she thinks has the annoying habit of doing that. "People who want to buy crack." They both look at each other reprovingly. "And cinephiles, like me and Y/N, car enthusiasts." Jug looks at her thankfully, really appreciative of her help on the subject. "Anyways, it's closing because the town owns it but didn't invest in it. So when an anonymous buyer made Mayor McCoy an offer, she couldn't refuse…" Jughead is trying to explain, but Veronica cuts him off. "Anonymous buyer? What do they have to hide? No one cares.", she speaks her mind, laughing. "I do." Both Y/N and Juggie say at the same time. "Anyways, you guys should all come to closing night. I'm thinking 'American Graffiti', or is that too obvious?", he changes the subject a little bit. It's visible he's already thinking of other options. "Anything starring Audrey Hepburn, or Kate Blanchett.", Veronica votes and Y/N thinks it's probably because the girl herself looks like she's been taken out from one of those movies. "Or 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'." Kevin suggests and Y/N wonders if they only enjoy movies they can relate to. She also wonders the same about herself. "You do have Tom's jaw, Kevin.", she says. "Thank you.", he says and she's not sure if it's utter thankfulness or sarcasm over being compared to a killer, although a very handsome one. "Betty, your choices?" , he looks at the blonde girl who's been silent this whole time, snapping the girl's attention into the conversation for what seems to be the first time so far. "Maybe 'Pretty in Pink'. How about you, Y/N?", the Cooper girl wants to know, and Jughead stares at Y/L/N intently. "I think 'Rebel Without a Cause' is a good fit.", she shoots. Hermione arrives with their food, putting an end to that debate.

"That's an odd combo." Kev says and looks at the trio who just walked in, making everyone turn heads. Archie with his dad and Miss Grundy, of all people. Betty quickly walks out without Jug or Y/N even having a chance to stop her. They know perfectly well that approaching him like that isn't a great idea. "What's happening?", Kevin asks confused, just like Veronica. "Trust me, you don't wanna know.", Y/N responds, hoping they'll let it go, but it actually makes them more interested. As soon as Betty walks out with the ginger boy, their curiosity grows. Unfortunately, none of them is about to tell why the blonde needed so desperately to talk to Arch. Y/N has just met Betty, having no long lasting friendship loyalty to her, and she doesn't even know Archie, but she wouldn't want to be told on if she was in that situation. "What's happening out there? Do we know? Is it about me?" Veronica asks hurriedly and Y/N thinks how self-centered that girl has to be to think everything is about her. "I have a strong inkling.", Jughead says vaguely. "I'd stay out of it if I were you.", Y/N advises the New Yorker and she looks surprised Y/N even knows what's going on. "But you're you and I'm me. You do you, girl. I'll be back.", Veronica spits on her way out. Kevin respects their privacy out of fear of the unknown.

 **Jughead's point of view**

Alice shows up to pick Betty up before things get worse. Archie walks back in to his table as if nothing has happened and Veronica looks both pissed and surprised at the same time. "I'll leave this to your very capable hands.", Jug tells Kevin, who is desperate for gossip. "Y/L/N, if we may?", he says pointing at an empty booth on the other side of the diner and she quickly gets up waving the ones staying good bye. They sit in front of each other, just the two of them. "As it should've been all along.", the beanie-clad boy adds trying to salvage what could've been their first date. "Why didn't you tell me about the Drive-In?" That's exactly what he's expecting her to ask. "I wanted to forget about it.", he says sadly now that the anger has gone. "I want to be able to help you, Jug, but I can't if you won't let me." He can hear the honesty in her voice. "Help me print out and distribute the flyers about the last screening?", he asks for her assistance. "Absolutely. But we shouldn't give up yet. We have to hit pause on Jason's investigation. It's not like we have any new leads anyways." He nods in agreement. "We should talk to Mayor McCoy about keeping the Drive-In.", she suggests and he realizes it would be incredible if they could find a way to change her mind about the sale. He's also amazed at her tenacity to fight for something that is probably doomed, because it's the right thing. After all that happened this night, he's glad he didn't call it a date. It would've been a complete epic fail. He pays for Y/N's food as she hands him the ticket. "Keep it.", he tells her. "Give it back to me when you need a free meal.", she says, putting the piece of decorated paper in his jacket's pocket. He can feel her finger gently touching his body. If they weren't in a diner full of people, he would've probably kissed her.

* * *

Jughead arrives early at school to hand out as many flyers as he can. Archie finds him on one of the hallways and starts rambling about Betty discovering his affair with the music teacher. Jug cares about his friend, but he has more important things in his mind, like the roof over his head that is about to be demolished. Even if he didn't, saying nothing was the most moral choice. He couldn't either betray Arch and tell Betty not to do anything or warn the red-haired guy without going against Betty, who wasn't wrong. He assures his friend Betty wouldn't do anything to hurt him. Despite everything, he can't miss the chance for some irony. "We're both trying to hold on to something much older than us.", he says, as he glues a poster on the school's wall with a near perfect drawing of James Dean, made by Y/N, revealing the movie of choice: Rebel Without a Cause. Could he make it more obvious he's falling for her?

* * *

Y/N is waiting for him outside after their last class, for they planned of walking to the town hall and talk to the Mayor. "Interesting friends you have.", Y/N states, referring to the previous night's scandal. "Archie and Betty are my friends, the others were just there…" He knows how mean that sounds. "So, only the womanizer jock/musician and the absent-minded blonde? Not the gay kid? Or the deluxe rich girl?", she hits him with the same level of sarcasm he strikes the world with and they both laugh.

Mayor McCoy is not pleased with their visit and she makes that pretty obvious by not giving them her full attention, messing around with papers they are sure could be dealt with after the 15 minutes they asked for. Jughead looks longingly at the town's model in the middle of the room and Y/N walks right to the Mayors desk in a stern way, demanding to be heard. "The Drive-In is a piece of this town's history. You want to throw a 75th Anniversary Jubilee while you destroy our roots?", Y/N asks with conviction and Jughead doesn't think he could've put it better himself. "It's called progress, Miss Y/L/N. Do you think we kept everything exactly like it was 75 years ago?", the Mayor asks like Y/N is a kid and that angers Jughead. "There must be something we can do to keep it.", he demands with a hint of desperation. "I'm sorry, but the Twilight Drive-In it's a blight that's become a cesspool, and a hangout for criminals… and transients.", she says with little regard to the people who love that place. "And the deal's done. Andrews Construction is scheduled to demolish the lot on Monday.", she adds happily like that's a job well done. "Mayor McCoy, when I was a kid, my family and I would go to the drive-in all the time. We couldn't afford tickets for everyone, so my sister Jellybean and I would hide in the trunk until we parked. We'd sneak out.", he chuckles and notices the soft expression on Y/N's face who was listening attentively. "It's like I'm home." He emphasizes the word 'home', hoping that a more sentimental way could get to her. "Thank you both for your input on this. But the future of Riverdale is at stake. There's nothing I can do." She motions them to the door.

Jughead has the look of defeat all over him. "We're not giving up. We can talk to Mr. Andrews. If he backs out, it will at least slow it down until we find a permanent solution." She cups his cheeks talking very close to his, making Jughead's heart skip a beat. He takes a moment to regain control of his body after she let go of his face. "I should be the one to do it. I've been best friends with his son all my life.", he says trying to find an explanation to why he doesn't want to involve her in this without having to mention his drunk father. "Makes sense. Let me know how it goes. I have to meet Betty for something anyways." He thought she would be hurt by being left out but it actually surprised him she has plans with the blonde cheerleader. "Are you guys friends now?", he asks with jealousy. "I wouldn't go that far. She asked if I was in for some sleuthing. It's probably Jason-related and she just wants my opinion.", she explains. "So, about tomorrow… I can borrow my mom's car. And I was wondering if you'd like to watch the movie from the audience's point of view one last time?", she asks with so much insecurity he thinks it's cute. "I'd love to. I'll fix the roll and meet you there.". He looks at the beautiful smile now forming on Y/N's face, not realizing he has the same one on.

 **Y/N's point of view**

Y/N stands at the address Betty texted her. Despite she's not late yet, the Y/H/C girl has her doubts if she'll really come or if this was just a prank. Thankfully, before she has time to fall into a panic attack over it, she spots the blonde Nancy Drew walking her way, alongside the raven-haired princess. "So much for letting this go.", Veronica says as Y/N now realizes they are standing in front of Geraldine's car. "Wow. Are we really breaking into Grundy's car right now?" Y/N asks while Betty pulls out a slim jim out of her bag. "How do you even know how to do that?", Veronica asks whispering and looking around. "My dad and I fix cars together. Thank God, she drives an old…" Betty looks at the other girls with a proud look since she has successfully opened the blue beetle's door and they all get in. "I have to say, when you said sleuthing I figured it was about Jason and not breaking in the music teachers car.", Y/N whispers and Betty quickly looks around the car. "If I'm committing a felony, I need at least to ask the question. Are you doing this because you still have feelings for Archie, or…", Veronica asks and that makes Y/N huff and fall back on her seat felling her body hit something. "No. We're doing this because Grundy has Archie under some kind of sexual spell, and he won't listen to reason. We're looking for anything that proves Grundy isn't as clean as she says she is." Betty says. "Probably what you're looking for.", Y/N says and hands her a lock box she found on the back seat and Betty expresses a deep 'thank you' with her eyes. "Bobby pin." She looks at Veronica who obviously had many hidden around her perfect wavy hair. "Ok, Ms. Gyver." Veronica hands her the bobby pin and she masterfully opens the lock. "Nancy Drew detective handbook?" Y/N asks impressed. "Yeah!" Betty is proud to be compared to such a wonderful writer. She opens the box pulling out a driver's license with the name "Jeniffer Gibson" and Ms. Grundy's picture making the girls question the teachers real identity. However, what really surprises them is the gun Betty pulls out. They hear noises in the house. "We gotta go." Y/N urges, already opening her door with as much care not to make a noise as she does when sneaking out of her room when her parents are home. Those little outlaws leave.

Betty convinced them they should tell Archie about what they found. Y/N really wants to be left out of it as she doesn't even know Archie. But she was involved in it either she likes it or not. Obviously the red-haired wasn't too pleased about the illegal actions the girl took, but he couldn't deny that it's suspicious for his lover to have an ID with a different name and a gun, considering a student was shot. He said he'd deal with the situation on his terms, not Betty's, and Y/N thinks he's right. Even if what the lovers are doing is wrong, it's not their business. They leave with a very angry Archie slamming the door on them.

Y/N hadn't looked at her phone while she was out breaking the law with Betty and Veronica, so when she get's home, there are a few texts to answer. She skips her mom's, going directly to Jughead's.

 **No luck with Mr. Andrews. – Jughead**

 **Then let's think of something else. – You**

He doesn't reply after that and she's sure it's because it must be a lot to take in. She has a lot of unfinished homework to get to. Since they became friends, she's been spending her time in getting to know him rather than schoolwork. Fact is her parents wouldn't be pleased if her grades started getting lower, which creates a strong conflict, because she really wants to keep his friendship. Y/N decides to sleep a bit less to try to make everyone happy, including herself, by making a cup of coffee to get her through those papers. She eventually falls asleep on the desk with only a few words left to write on her last essay.

* * *

Y/N takes one last look at herself in the mirror before leaving for the Drive-In. She's not usually worried about her clothes the way Veronica and Cheryl are, because she feels there are more important things than appearance, but right now she wants to look good. She chooses a black see-through buttoned-down shirt that barely shows her bralette underneath, a red wine jacket, dark gray skinny jeans and simple converse shoes. She lets her Y/H/C hair loose and natural. The girl even attempts on wearing some lipstick, giving up at last because it feels too much.

She arrives quite excited at the Twilight, only second to the Serpents, who were probably there a lot earlier. Looking at the big sign showing "Rebel Without A Cause" makes her blush. The girl parks her mom's 1967 Impala in the middle of the field where the lights from the concession stand won't be visible and the noise from the gang won't be too loud. The smell of fresh popcorn fills her nostrils and she buys two buckets, since Jughead will be joining her. Not too long goes by and the whole space is filled with cars. It has been a while since the Drive-In is this crowded. So sad to think it will be the last time.

Half the movie has gone by and Jughead is still in the projection booth. Y/N wonders if she'll be stood up one more time. The Serpents are being loud and obnoxious, making it hard to hear what the characters are saying. Thankfully, Y/N has watched it many times before, enough to memorize the lines. She can faintly hear someone screaming back to the gangers, telling them to shut up. When she looks behind her, she sees Verocina sitting back down in Kevin's truck. Everyone hunks in agreement.

The passenger door opens and Jughead sits next to her. "Took you long enough.", she says, handing him a half empty bucket of popcorn. "Yeah, I ate it." He chuckles, resting his hand on the back of the seat. " _Smooth_." She thinks, glad he did that. Jim has just kissed Judie and Y/N faces him. He's leaning in, getting closer to her face, brushing the locks of hair away from her face, glancing at her lips. She's desperately waiting for him to finally reach her. Perfect mere inches from contact are ruined by one of the Serpents turning on his bike to leave and the noise makes him back away, quickly opening the car door. "I should get back to check on the film…" Before she even has a chance to reply, he's already out of sight.

Jughead's point of view

Joghead closes the projection booth and slides down till he hits the ground. " _What the fuck was that?"_ He has never kissed anyone, never even wanted to. But then there he was, just about to do it, and he truly wished it had happened. Best of all, he could see she did too. If that darn bike hadn't made him self-conscious of the risks of his actions, he probably would've. He's not used to being scared, so he just left her there to be alone in his safe haven one last time, but in deep regret.

The movie ends and the loud noise of cars leaving makes him look from the small window at the field. Her car is the only one still parked. Jug wants to go down, but he can't face her now. His phone buzzes.

 **Do you need a ride? – Y/N**

 **Nah, thanks. I still gotta fix some stuff, it's gonna take a while. – You**

 **Ok. Good night, Jug. Sorry we couldn't save the Drive-in. – Y/N**

He's relieved at her messages. He was expecting her to be mad but it seems as if she could read his mind and know he was just afraid of being rejected. Jughead watches her driving away, wanting to scream for her to come back. Instead, he keeps his mouth shut with dread. He proceeds to pack his bag with whatever he can make fit, mentally preparing to leave for good in the morning, not even sure yet where he'll go to, his dad's place being the last one on the list. When he finally lays down, both his mind and body are tired and he falls asleep immediately, letting his unconsciousness continue the act he left unfinished earlier.

He grabs his heavy bag containing all his belongings and some souvenirs from the Drive-In. He takes a look at the walls that were about to be destroyed and he wants to add something of himself to that place. He tags "Jughead Jones Wuz Here" adding a crown on top with spray paint. After leaving his mark on the world, he's ready to leave but is met face to face with the Southside Serpents' leader. Anyone else in his place would probably shiver, but he was at ease. After all, the man standing in front of him is his father. FP may be an alcoholic gang-banger, but he truly cares about his son. He ensures his father he will be fine, mostly trying to convince himself. And he leaves The Twilight Drive-In without looking back.


	6. Chapter 6

**Warnings:** Cheryl's bullying; other than that, I think you're good.

 **Word count:** 3964

 **A/N:** This is the slowest of burns… I wanted their relationship to build in the fic, not just explain it and move on. I promise you'll get some 'action' next part!

* * *

 **Y/N's point of view**

Y/N squints her eyes when sunlight invades her room, hitting her mirror and eventually her face. She's been up all night after the Drive-In, with everything about it still clear in her memory. First, the long wait for Jughead, then the way his arm rested on the back of her seat, his breathing close to her skin… She imagines what his lips would've felt like, had he not backed away. Anyway, it's no good wasting time on what ifs, so she gets up to take a shower and change the clothes that still smell like buttered popcorn and men's cologne. The warm water falls down her body, soaking her hair and slowing her thoughts, finally getting her mind out of that.

She leaves water droplets and wet footprints on the floor heading to her room. Y/N didn't take a towel, knowing she was still alone, something more often than not. She loves it, actually, for a few phone calls a week are all this independent girl can handle from her parent's loud personality. Y/N remembers about Betty's offer while getting dressed and reflects if she should accept it. Maybe spending more time with Jughead is not such a good idea, giving the previous night's events – and the way she's been drifting from her goals. Looking at her writing desk, she sees that old homework still lying there, unfinished. She writes its last paragraph with ease, and carefully places it in a folder, inside her Y/F/C backpack. It feels good to be a multitasker, after all.

* * *

Without realizing, she's standing in front of the Blue and Gold's office door. Apparently, her desire to be with Jug is stronger than her mind. Y/N doesn't even have to knock for Betty to open the door, and she does it with a smile. "I knew you'd say yes.", the blonde cheerleader says grabbing Y/N's hand and pulling her in. "It will look good on my college applications.", she claims, not wanting to reveal the unconscious reason she's there: the magnetic quintessence of Jones III. "Where's Jug?", she asks looking around. "He went to get Kevin. You know Kev's dad is the Sh…" "Sheriff, yes.", she completes Betty's sentence. "Right. Last night someone broke into their home and destroyed his murder board.", the blonde discloses, fixing a styrofoam board and some thumbtacks. "Damn. Things are getting serious.", Y/N quivers. "Thankfully Kevin had a good look of how it was before it got smashed.", Betty says with a rascal look. "So we're making our very own murder board, Miss Drew?", Y/N infers excitedly.

The door opens and both Kevin and Jughead walk in. Jughead looks flabbergasted at the sight of Y/N. It's understandable, after his lack of action at the Drive-In, but she can't help wondering that he's distraught like that because he doesn't want to see her anymore. Betty notices the weird vibe coming from them and goes help Kevin pinning pictures with names and newspaper cut-outs at the board, giving them space to talk. "I… I don't… Don't…", Jughead stutters. "Don't worry about it. Let's pretend it never happened." She knows it won't be forgotten, but she's committed not to bring it up again so that awkwardness between them can disappear once and for all. Jughead simply smiles and nods. She can almost feel the weight being pulled from his shoulders. They both join the others on the murder board.

The group not only enjoy the new set of eyes they have on the case but brainstorm about who could've broken in the Sheriff's house. Kevin shares with them a list of things that were stolen: files, background checks, audio and videotapes of the interviews. Whoever did it was smart enough not to leave fingerprints behind, and Jughead adds the fact they chose that specific night to do so, with everyone at the Twilight, including Sheriff Keller himself, patrolling. Y/N suggests it may not even be the killer who stole the stuff, but she doesn't have time to explain her point of view as Trev walks in. He asks if his date with Betty is still up. Y/N thinks that's odd, for it seemed the blonde was recently desperately in love with Archie Andrews, but believes it's probably for the best she's moving on. As soon as the ex-football player leaves, Kevin bombards Betty with questions about her date. She claims it's just an intelligence gathering, but everyone heard her call it a date with an ear-to-ear smile. Bets tries to justify herself saying they have the upper hand, not the Sheriff, being able to access the kids at Riverdale High in a way he never will, and that she's just taking advantage of that. They can't go against it, but it's highly unlikely that Kevin will let that go any time soon.

 **Jughead's point of view**

Jughead is finding it hard to keep his focus on Jason's case with Y/N standing next to him, with the scent of white chocolate and ginger taking over his nostrils, in addition to the sound of her voice muffling everyone else's. He catches himself staring at her lips more often than ever, furious at himself for not taking action when he had the chance, pondering if he'll even get a second one. "Y/N/N, come have lunch with us. We're meeting Archie at the football field.", Betty says locking arms with the Y/H/C girl, not giving her much room to deny it and snapping Jughead out of his daydream. "Eating is always the solution to my troubles.". At least he hopes so, as this is a completely new dilemma.

They meet up with Veronica in the cafeteria line and each one of them just grabs a pack of fries to go. Jughead finishes his before they even arrive at the bleachers to join Archie, not only because he eats fast but the unstimulating conversation made him want to be deaf. Betty's still dragging Y/N around like a handbag, so he couldn't even try to engage on interesting conversation.

As soon as they sit, the subject changes from Betty's love life to Archie's. Thankfully, Y/N is released from Betty's arms and sits down next to him. She extends her fries to him. He smiles and grabs a few, a small act assuring him they can get back to normal. He has to focus on chewing, otherwise his lips would be busy doing something else, and the school bleachers with all his friends around isn't exactly how he pictures his first kiss to go down.

"Sorry to interrupt, Sad Breakfast Club." Jug and Y/N look at each other and roll eyes, already used to those not quite insults. "But I'm here to formally invite you to Jason's memorial at Thornhill this weekend.", Cheryl interjects, handing out black envelopes to everyone. It's very surprising that Jughead is on the guest list, giving all the years of bullying coming from both Blossom twins, but what really makes them all dumbfounded is that Y/N gets one. "Yes. Morticia, you are invited. Personally, I wouldn't have, but mother says everyone who had a connection with Jason is welcome.", the red-haired refers to Y/N derisively, making Jughead clench his fists inside his jacket's pocket, so hard it whitens his knuckles and pop his veins. Cheryl's gone just as she appeared, quickly and quietly, off to deliver more envelopes.

 **Y/N's point of view**

Y/N holds her black invitation with hesitation. Her father is a doctor, so evidently she has seen him dealing with the loss of a patient and grief is not a new feeling for her. Actually, what's making her uncomfortable about the situation is having been invited altogether. It's not like Jason and her were friends. They barely knew each other, and whenever the football team was around, he made sure to torment Y/N just enough to make it seem like he despised her for not conforming to the tycoon pattern. Ultimately, she doesn't mind it all that much, the bullying and the mainstream. The charming girl tries to brush those worries away as she notices Jughead's concerned look towards her reaction.

* * *

Jug is waiting outside her classroom after the last period. "How come you don't drive the Impala to school everyday?", he asks inquisitively. "If I did, you wouldn't walk me home.", she answers playfully, bumping his shoulder with hers. "Should I also walk you to Thornhill this weekend?", Jughead asks and she can almost sense a nervous tone but his confident face hides it well. "Wouldn't have it any other way." She's not sure if it's appropriate to be this happy about going to a memorial. However, the girl can't help herself. As they head to Y/N's house, she notices Jug is walking closer and closer to her each time. This happier young lady tried her best to act normal all day, attempting not to lose his friendship, even if it meant he would lose what seemed to be a passionate interest in her. However, analyzing the way things unfolded, she believes they could hold hands, sharing some warmth, and nothing would break them apart ever again, quite the opposite: it is as if a stronger bondage between those misfit teenagers is being welded just because they made a conjoint effort to remain in partnership. She can finally let loose.

* * *

Y/N makes out someone whisper-shouting her name at the classroom's backdoor, but ignores it, heavily considering she's going mad. When she hears it for the third time, much closer to her, the confused girl turns around to discover Jughead, squatted behind her chair with a cheeky look. "What are you doing here?", she whispers, making sure the teacher is still writing on the board, unable to see him there. "Came to rescue you, of course.", he replies, grabbing her book from the desk and placing it on her backpack, slowly leaving, still unnoticed by the others. "Ask to be excused.", he instructs her. The teacher is just as astound as Y/N that she raised her hand in class. "May I go to the bathroom?" As each word leaves her lips, she knows how much being with that boy means to her, for she'll leave class just because he asked, and without explanation. The retired physicist agrees at once and the half oblivious, half ecstatic girl walks out.

They end up at the student lounge. Jughead leads the way, still carrying her backpack. "Care to enlighten me why you 'rescued' me from a pre-test class?", she asks pretending to be angry, not very convincingly, and Jug can tell. "You know, usually shining knights are thanked with a kiss, not questions." He playfully points at his cheek and the girl's heart almost beats out her chest. "I'm not a knight, though." Jughead doesn't give her time to process it or even make a move but a smirk doesn't leave his face. "Why then?" She sits on the couch and he joins her. "You looked bored. Clearly I'm better company than Mr. Tedious Teacher." He points at his chest. Y/N just chuckles.

Betty enters the student lounge looking dismal. Y/N notices her quick change to a resentful expression at the sight of Jughead sitting next to her, laughing. Both pause their conversation to shift their attention to the information the blonde got from her 'date' with Trev, but not only that, also what she managed to get out of her father in relation to Polly. Y/N changes sits to comfort Bets after finding out her sister tried to kill herself, even though it didn't make sense for her. "Why does a rich kid sell drugs?", Jughead asks rhetorically and stands up. Y/N/N almost forgets what they're talking about at the sight of Jug's brows frown in concentration. "He was running away from his parents.", Betty says. "But why would he have to run away from mommy and daddy dearest?", Y/N inquires. "Because they're monsters.", the blonde expresses. "Yeah, but why, specifically." Jughead's tone gets more serious. "Well, we can't exactly just ask them.", Y/N points out sadly. "So we have to ask Jason." Both girls look at him puzzled. "Are you suggesting Ouija board? Because that's not a reliable source of information.", the Y/H/C girl states skeptically. "No. Dead men tell no tales. But their bedrooms, their houses…", Jug explains, implyingly. Y/N is reluctant to accept the idea of snooping around the dead kid's room. If she wants to get into an Ivy League college, breaking and entering is not something very good to have on her record. Betty, on the other hand, jumps on Jug's plan without a second thought, which made Y/N suspicious, weakening her already faint will to take part in that plan. It's only after Juggie promises Y/N will be the first to read his manuscript that she accepts to be their look-out. Bets doesn't look pleased with the negotiation, constantly suggesting they don't need a guard.

 **Jughead's point of view**

Jug is getting ready to leave for the ghostly mansion, slowly recollecting that week's events. As he leads up to the memorial, he gets slightly confused because he finally realizes the extra attention and weird looks he's been getting from Betty. Even more so with her proposing to go with him to Jason's memorial. The beanie-clad boy politely declined, explaining that since he was going from Y/N's place, it would be better if they just met there. Actually, he had to emphasize Beth's house was linearly opposite from where they were going to leave.

He tries to convince himself it's just to get close to Archie's best friend, even if that sounds ridiculous, because so is she. Besides, Jug can't afford thinking it's more than that since his mind is already having a hard time figuring out why Y/N won't leave his thoughts. He decides to target his energy into Jason's case, managing to make the right knot for his tie after a few attempts and covering his curly dark hair with his beanie.

He fails at his mission to concentrate on the novel the second Y/N opens her front door. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of the girl wearing a knee-length black dress, topped with a loose dark grey knitted cardigan. Nothing fancy, but he wouldn't be able to tell even if it was. "Looking good, Jones.", she breaks the silence, running her hands down his blue tie. Jughead remains speechless, with irregular heartbeats, simply noticing her cheeks gaining a rosy tint. "You look… stunning.", Jug finally finds the combination of words he was looking for. He can see the smile she's trying to hide, which jump-starts his heart. "Shall we?" She entwines fingers with him, closing the door behind her. It's only then he observes Y/N is a few inches taller, coming to the conclusion that she really doesn't need heels to be phenomenal.

He lets go of her hand, against his personal wishes, as they arrive at the poignant gates of Thornhill. Given their mission there, it's advisable to keep a low profile, and the town's weirdo walking in hand in hand with the town's loner isn't exactly discreet. Much to his dismay, Mrs. Blossom calls out for Y/N. "Where are your parents, dear?", the woman questions. "Australia. But they send their condolences.", Y/N answers with empathy for the grieving mother. "Oh, yes. Dr. Y/F/L/N and Mrs. Y/M/L/N, always away." Rancor is filling her voice. "Were they abroad during the July 4th weekend?" Jughead resents her for asking that and he's just about to stand up for Y/N when Archie saves them both from the scandal. The confusion caused by the ginger's resemblance to Jason shows on the woman's face with intensity, which grows when he hands her a folded varsity shirt with a visible number. It's 9, her son's. A sweet unintentional act that distracts her from accusing Y/N of killing Jason.

Freed from Penelope's nonsense, she pulls Jughead inside to sit on the far corner, where it was less likely to have people eavesdropping. "Of course. It all makes sense now.", she whispers. "What does?", he asks bewildered. "Cheryl said everyone who had a connection with Jason was welcome. I think it's so they gather all their suspects in one room. Including us…", Y/N explains and Jug is just about to agree with her when Betty sits next to him. "You look nice, Juggie.", Betty says. "Thanks, Bets. You too.", he replies blatantly. Everyone's heads turn back at the sight of Cheryl Blossom walking towards the lectern, wearing the same outfit she was found in at Sweet Water River, leaving everyone dumbfounded. The girl stood out in white in a room full of black. Craziness aside, Jug believes she's the only one in that family who's actually dealing with grief. Mrs. Blossom looks thirsty for justice and her husband seems cold and distant.

 **Y/N's point of view**

They listen to Cheryl's melancholic story. Y/N can see, out of the corner of his eye, Penelope's wrath being choked to keep up appearances, and that makes her understand why Jason's sister is so mean, almost feeling sorry for the spoiled girl. As Cheryl finishes her speech, everyone is directed to the Winter Salon. Betty seizes this opportunity to sleuth, making sure the three of them are out of eyesight. Jughead places his hand on Y/N's shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?", he asks, practically begging. "You know what? To hell with it. Let's go.", she answers. After the way she was greeted, Y/N doesn't have anything keeping her on track anymore.

Thornhill is such a dreadful maze that a couple wrong turns are enough to get them lost. It takes Jughead to close his eyes, retrace their steps and remember Veronica's directions to eventually make it to Jason's room. They go in with all the caution possible, bewildered by the extensive amount of football gear and trophies everywhere. "Is is just me or does it feel like we're being watched?" She gets goosebumps. "That's just the icy chill stare of the dead.", Jughead answers in a very spine-chilling way that visibly frightens even himself, so everybody look at him stopping for a second to recompose, probably trying to be rational again. He finally instructs them to look under the mattress, inside the drawers, behind the headboard and in the closet as those are the most likely places for a teenage boy to hide things. Their snooping is cut short as an old lady in a wheelchair calls out for them, scaring the life out of their bodies.

"Turns out I was right about being watched.", Y/N whispers in Jug's ear, as she holds tightly onto his tense arm. The lady comes to light and they recognize Jason's practically blind grandmother, who confuses Betty with her sister, Polly. They silently instruct the terrified blonde to go along with the lady's mistake. "Such a shame. Your wedding was the last thing I was living for. I lost a grandson, but you, you've lost the love of your young life.", grandma Blossom confesses with sadness. Y/N and Jughead quietly watch as Betty's heart breaks and she runs away. They hurry after her. She's spotted by the gate and Y/N simply signals Jug she'll handle it.

Y/N is sure Betty would rather have one of her friends to console her. Be that as it may, this needs immediate attention. The white chocolate and ginger smelling girl isn't sure if she should hug her, deciding it's safer to just place a hand on her back. "They lied. Jason didn't break up with Polly. He's not the reason she left.", the blonde speaks through sobs. "That's horrible. I know it hurts, but you're closer to the truth now. We'll figure it out, together." Y/N tries to comfort the distressed girl. "You're right. I'm gonna confront my parents. I won't rest until I know what happened to my sister. Thank you, Y/N/N." Betty takes Y/N by surprise embracing her. The blonde girl wipes the tears away and leaves Thornhill to get some urgently needed answers. "That was really nice of you.", Jughead says behind Y/N. "I just hope I didn't add more wood to the fire…" Y/N wants the girl to find what she's looking for, even if that's NOT what she wants to find. "So, you're parents are in Australia, huh?", he asks raising his eyebrows. "Yep. Wanna have a movie marathon to forget this hellish day?", she asks hopefully. "Only if we get Pop's take out first.", he adds with a smile. "Took the words right out of my mouth, Jones.", she replies as they walk automatically to their favorite dinner.

 **Jughead's point of view**

Jughead is once more in the cushiness of Y/N's couch. First thing he does before they start their marathon is remove his jacket and tie, unbuttoning his shirt's collar so he can breath. They're much more comfortable around each other than the first time, therefore sitting closer. Her hand weightlessly lies on his arm. He lightly brushes his fingertips on her skin, which is way more interesting to look at than the TV both of them neglected after the third movie. Jug's watching the colorful luminosity from the television on her body, but the worn-out boy can barely keep his eyes open, so he's about to stand up and leave when he notices Y/N is napping on his arm. Not wanting to disrupt her looking so peaceful, Jug just grabs some pillows and rests there. That couch is undoubtedly a huge improvement from a mattress on the floor of Riverdale High's storage closet, not to mention the fabulous girl next to him. He falls asleep quicker than ever before.

* * *

 _A/N: Should've ended here but I had to set the bar for the next part._

* * *

The Blue and Gold's room is packed with tenseness with the revelation about Polly's actual condition. "Betty… if your parents lied about Jason and Polly, there's probably more that they lied about.", Jughead suggests, not actually accusing anyone. "What do you mean?", the blonde looks clueless. "Your dad said he would do anything to protect Polly. So the next logical question is… How far would he go to protect her?", Y/N implyingly accuses him of more than taking Betty's sister away. Jughead figures Bets will be mad at it. "Guys, whoever broke into Sheriff Keller's house and stole all his evidence wasn't at the drive-in. My Dad wasn't at the drive-in.", Cooper discloses with little hesitation. Probably since Y/N was there for her on a moment of need she's been taking the smart girl's suggestions into consideration. "I'm sorry, Betty, but we have to add them in." A sympathetic Y/N pins 'Coopers' on the murder board. "We need to talk to Polly." Jughead looks at her with a hint of demand and the blonde just silently agrees.


	7. Chapter 7

**Word count:** 3281

 **A/N:** Wow, it's been more than a month since the last part was released and this one is more on the short side. Dog Days final part coming soon :)

* * *

 **Y/N's point of view**

Y/N wakes up in fright, heart pounding off her chest, barely breathing. The loud noises that interrupted her slumber are coming from downstairs. She gets up as quickly and silently as possible and grabs the baseball bat her uncle gave her when she turned 14, which has been neglected to the corner of the room ever since. Gathering all her courage, the girl walks down the stairs slowly, avoiding the creaking steps she learned to skip when sneaking out at night, hoping it's not Jason's killer, for a 16-year-old with a bat she doesn't even know how to use won't stand a chance against someone with a gun that has already killed a teenager.

At the bottom of the stairs someone is coming up with boxes covering their face. She gets scared and swings, missing whoever is there by a hair. "Wow. Sweetie, it's me." Her father's familiar voice calms her. He drops his box at the step and takes the baseball bat from her as she still looks distressed. It takes her a few seconds to process she's safe, but as soon as she does, her arms are around her father. "No love for moma?" Y/N sees her mother, of whom she's the spitting image, standing by the open front door. She runs down to hug the woman just as tight as she did her dad. "You guys didn't tell me you were coming.", she says, happy to see them instead of a killer. "We wanted to surprise you." "That you sure did." They all laugh, as that wasn't exactly the welcome they were expecting. "Do you need help unpacking?" Y/N notices the mess everywhere. "No, you go get ready for school. We'll deal with all this", her mother instructs, pointing at everything around the living-room with a 'why did we brought so much stuff' look.

Y/N gets back to her room without any guilt for not helping them. She's used to them coming back home with extra luggage. The girl did try to help once, but they just ended up making a bigger mess. It's a lot earlier than she planned on waking up, so she takes that time to finish her articles for the Blue and Gold. Time flies by and she only notices when her belly roars in hunger. The girl quickly changes out of her pijamas into high waisted jeans and a loose tank top. Reaching the kitchen, she finds suitcases and boxes full of stuff they brought from the trip piled everywhere, making it impossible to eat, let alone cook there. "I'm going to Pop's for breakfast.", she shouts grabbing a jacket from the coat hanger. "Wait! We didn't even have time to catch up." Her mom comes out from behind a pile of boxes. "We'll do that at dinner, when I come back to this house the way it was before you arrived, young lady.", Y/N says playfully. "Oh. Bring your boyfriend for dinner.", Y/F/N requests. "He's not my boyfriend." She blushes. "Of course not, you just spend a lot of time with him, talking about him, thinking about him…", Y/M/N teases. "Ok, I got it. See ya later." Y/N blows them a kiss and heads out.

The girl is glad to be reminded of Jughead. She texts him on her way to the diner.

 **You - Wanna have breakfast at Pop's? My treat.**

 **Jughead - Would love to, but I'm heading to Betty's for breakfast. I'm gonna distract her mom while she tries to find out where Polly was taken to.**

Y/N doesn't reply, perplexed to why she wasn't included in their plan. She's not mad at Jug, but rather disappointed in Betty. After the memorial, she was sure they were on the same page. Clearly not. Nonetheless, she's not gonna let that stop her from getting the best milkshakes in town before class.

 **Jughead's point of view**

The chair in the Blue and Gold office is way more comfortable than his mattress on the floor. Nevertheless, whenever Jughead tries to sleep there, he ends up staying up late, writing. Tonight is one of those nights. Without any major development on the Jason Blossom case, the novelist doesn't really have much to add to the story but editing is just as important. Jug can't move past the paragraph about the first time he met Y/N by the edge of Sweet Water River just after the body was removed. It's the way she's written in, skeptical and cold, that got him stuck, realizing he doesn't relate to that at all. Even so, at the same time, it's how he felt back then. Since he promised she'd be the first to read his finished work, the writer can't imagine letting her read those as his first words about her.

After much editing, he's finally happy with the end result of Y/N's introduction to the story. The clock on his screen shows it just turned 6 am. He could try and get some sleep, but the boy remembers the long overdue paper he has to deliver and not a single sentence written yet. School work isn't really his forte. Forty-five minutes go by and Jug's staring at his laptop screen, motionless, not even all the cold coffee left in his thermos flask would be enough to keep him awake, so he decides to take a power nap before leaving for Betty's. Jughead just slouches back on the chair and crosses his feet over the table. Leaving the office would mean 15 minutes wasted wondering the school halls till his 'room' and he can't afford to lose a single one. He's woken up by a text from Y/N, inviting him to eat at Pop's, rather than his alarm clock.

Of course he would 100 times prefer to have breakfast with Y/N at the  
Chock'lit Shoppe than with Betty and her mom, but the fate of their investigation could rest with whatever information they can get out of Polly, and for that they need to know where she is. That's something they can only get from Alice and everything is set for today. Jughead just hopes the Y/H/C girl understands that. He can't help thinking if she had texted a little earlier he would most definitely have had two breakfasts.

A couple of waffles in, some OJ and both silent and vocal insults from Alice, Betty gives him the sign to get her mom out of the room, which is as easy as asking for the bathroom. When he returns, the blonde is already waiting for him by the front door with an accomplished look. Jughead thanks Alice for the 'hospitality' before they leave hurriedly. He can't wait to share this with Y/N.

 **Y/N's point of view**

Y/N uses her free period to drop her finished articles at the Blue and Gold not expecting to run into Betty and Jughead in there. "It's a Home for troubled disenfranchised teens will learn such virtues as discipline and respect, enjoying lives of quiet reflection and servitude.", Jug quotes. "Poor Polly.", Bets says. "So you found out?", Y/N asks, reveling her presence in the room. She can see the blonde dig her nails in her palms and go from a hateful to calm face within seconds. "Y/N/N! So glad you could join us. Juggie was very helpful in us finding out where Polly is.", Betty says on fake-nice tone, stroking Jug's arm, making him cringe and Y/N's face grow red. "Where is that?", the Y/H/C girl inquires, trying to not sound weird out by the whole ordeal. "The Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Sounds creepy, I know.", the raven-haired boy replies. "When are we going?", Y/N asks enthusiastically, as this would be their first group operation. "I think it's best if just me and Juggie go. Too many people can call attention.", the vixen replies coarsely. "I disagree." Jughead stands up and walks away from Betty. "The more the merrier. If things go south we can create a diversion, plus Y/N can drive us there." There's no valid argument Betty could use to explain why she doesn't want Y/N with them. The Y/E/C eyes meet Jug's blueish ones in gratitude for standing up for her.

The bell for lunch rings and they leave the office to the courtyard. They find the table where Archie is sitting next to Valerie, with a melancholic expression. Betty walks a little faster than them and sits in the corner of the bench, forcing Jug to sit in the middle and Y/N next to him in the other corner. "I think we should do it after school.", Bets suggests, probably because she knows Y/N has an extra class today. "Sure, that works for me.", the Y/H/C girl agrees and takes a sip from her soda. Playing Betty's game isn't really something she wants to do, but she's not just about to leave Jug alone with her again. "What are you guys talking about? Anything I can help with?", Archie inquiries, begging to be a part of it, same way Y/N has to fight for her spot in. "What we're attempting is a stealth operation, Archie. If we go in there with the entire Scooby Gang, forget it, we're compromised.", Jug explains, eating the last of his tortilla chips. The ginger boy looks even more miserable at that, but at soon as Veronica arrives, his gloominess changes, since she offers to play with him at the Variety Show. Y/N understands Jughead's gestures of asking for her bag of potato chips and gives it to him with a smile, only to watch Betty making fists with her hands once again.

Now that her parents are home, Y/N can't just skip class so she heads into her classroom acting sick. Lucky for her she's very convincing and the teacher let's her out without any problems. She meets Jug and Betty by the front gate so they can walk together to her house where she'll get her mom's car to drive them to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy building. The girl asks them to wait on the corner while she gets the car. Y/N's not in the mood to explain to her parents what they are doing. Not too long goes by and they hear the loud roar of the Impala. "I call shotgun." Jughead says opening the door so that Betty can seat in the back.

 **Jughead's point of view**

They arrive at the reception. The place looks more like a prison than a home. Betty hands the nun her ID and she's allowed in, but Jughead and Y/N have to stay back. "What do you think she's gonna find?", the girl asks as they sit on a bench in the lobby. "The truth. Whatever that is.", he answers. Soon after, they are asked to wait in a room. The doctor insists on them moving, not taking into consideration their attempts to prove they're fine where they are. "Are we being committed now?" Y/N tries to open the window, to no success. "No. But that may have been a better outcome." Jug makes her turn around to see Alice Cooper by the door with a furious look.

They are being escorted out by doctors. Before they reach the door, Polly comes out from a corner. She loses control and start screaming at her mom for not telling her what happened to Jason. Y/N tries to block one of the doctors from holding Betty, so the blonde can hug her sister. "Don't touch her." Jughead throws himself in front of the Y/H/C girl as the doctor was just about to pin her on the wall. They all watch as the pregnant mourning girl is dragged out. Jug is met with a different, darker view of what he thought was a perfect family.

At the parking lot, Alice instructs Betty to wait in the car and she walks away with both a grateful and apologetic look. Thanks to them, she got to see her sister, although because of that her mother is just about to lecture them. "I didn't expect this of you, Y/N." The girl can't meet Mrs. Cooper's eyes. "She was doing…", the boy starts. "Jug…" She nods her head from side to side interrupting him. "That's right, Jughead. Y/N doesn't need you to defend her. She knows she's wrong.", Alice spits with her eyes still watery. "No. Betty has a right to know what's going on with her sister. And THIS… exiling your own daughter because she's pregnant. I didn't expect THAT from you." Y/N opens the car door and gets in without looking back at Alice. Jughead follows her actions and they drive away.

"Where should I drop you off?", she asks. Jughead is silent for a while, figuring out the best way out of this. "How about we just go to Pop's?", he suggests, defensively. "Sure. After this, all I need is a double chocolate shake with waffles." Y/N changes their route to the Chock'lit Shoppe. "Waffles? For dinner?" The raven-haired boy laughs. "Don't judge me, Mr. Coffee-before-bed-ops-I-have-insomnia.", the girl teases and they both laugh. Y/N keeping her eyes off the road a little longer than she should've. Juggie is sure he caught her glimpsing at his lips but this isn't the right time for it so he just focuses on their order. He's temped on the waffles as well, but the usual burger wins every time.

Of course he stole a few bites from Y/N's delicious sweet treat, making the girl fake-mad and him fake-innocent. However, a sweet grin vanishes from his face as fast as it appeared since she offered to drive him home once again. "I think I'm just gonna stay here, enjoy the free coffee refills and write a bit." Jug hates not being able to tell her why he's not going home. Luckily she doesn't look suspicious to his reasons for staying. "How about tomorrow we have actual food for dinner? My place?", Y/N asks confidently. "Sounds good." The boy loves Pop's, but the thought of real food makes his stomach fluster. The girl slides off the booth and walks out of the diner, leaving Jug wishing there was a white chocolate and ginger milkshake so he could still smell her.

 **Y/N's point of view**

Light tapping on Y/N's bedroom window startles her. "Jug?" She surprises herself as this is the second time she calls him by his nickname. The boy is on a ladder the girl wasn't even aware they owned. "Hey there, Juliet.", he proclaims, getting in. "You do know we have a front door?", Y/N asks rhetorically. "There was an unfamiliar car in your driveway.", he states, looking around the posters on her walls and some of the books on her shelves before turning to face her. "So you decided to climb up?" She waves her hands in confusion. "Could've been the killer. I may as well have saved your life." Her heart beats faster as he walks closer and closer. "Also…" Jughead breaths in, his eyes switching from her lips to her Y/E/C orbs. He guides his hands to each side of her cheeks. Without hesitation Jug leans in, meeting their lips in a sweet, passionate kiss. Y/N is dazed by his actions and takes a few seconds to kiss back. But their moment is interrupted by her father knocking on the door. "Dinner is almost ready. When is your friend coming?", he shouts through the hallway. "Soon.", Y/N replies with a wide smile, looking up at that amazing boy in front of her, who just gave this fortunate overjoyed pleased teen her first kiss.

They walk down the stairs to the kitchen. "Where did Jughead come from?", her mother asks, suspiciously. "You know Nightcrawler, right? Ta-da!", Y/N points at the boy, implying he teleported. "Are you hiding a tail under that flannel?", her father jokes. "No, I've got my holographic clock on." Jughead shows his wrist, with a bracelet rather a clock, but the reference to X-Men: Evolution still stands. Y/N's sporting an amazed look at his knowledge on the series. "Ok, Kurt. you can sit here." Y/F/N point at the seat next to his daughters usual place and winks at the girl. Laughter and conversation fill the room. Y/M/N shares stories about their travel, Y/F/N talks about some of his less bloody cases, and Jughead gives them movies suggestions. Y/N is loving every second of it. However, as soon as they finish the main course, Jug's phone buzzes. He shows Y/N the text.

 **Betty: Meet me at route 40 by the Maple Syrup sign.**

Both teens look at each other, knowing they have to go, because it could be about the case they are desperate to solve. "Mom, we're gonna skip desert, we have to go meet some friends.", Y/N tells them, seeing the disappointed look in Jug's face. "That's ok, honey. Call us if you're gonna be later than really late.", her mother says. "Thank you for dinner Mr. and Mrs. Y/L/N. It was delicious.", Jughead says. "Oh, please. Calls us Y/M/N and Y/F/N and you're very welcome.", her father replies, taking out their plates.

* * *

Y/N parks the Impala when she spots Betty by the roadside under the pouring rain. She doesn't look happy, and not about being soaking wet, but at the sight of an accompanied Jughead. "How…" The blonde doesn't even have time to finish when Jug cuts her off. "I was having dinner at Y/N's when I got your text. It, seemed odd you didn't send her one.", he speaks firmly, making sure this doesn't go any further. "So, why are we here?", Y/N asks, looking around. "Polly told me about a getaway car Jason had ready for them. I wonder if it's still here.", Betty says, handing each a flashlight and directing them towards the sign. Even with the little visibility they have it's not hard to find the vehicle, covered with tarpaulin and leafs as it has been there for a while now.

They remove the protective layers and open the trunk, revealing suitcases and Jason's varsity jacket. "What are those?", Betty asks, pointing at something in plastic wrap. "Drugs…" Jughead picks one up. "JUG!", Y/N shouts, making him drop the evidence. "Fingerprints…", she explains, rubbing everything they touched with the sleeve of her sweater. "This is all evidence, we need to talk to Sheriff Keller and get Polly.", the blonde girl states. "This whole car is a crime scene." Jughead takes a few pictures with his phone before they leave to warn the Sheriff about it.

Sadly, by the time Sheriff Keller arrives at the site, the car is in flames, and Polly isn't at The Sisters of Quiet Mercy anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

**Word count:** 3047

 **A/N:** I have to be honest, I'm not the fastest updater... So it might be a while until the next part. But feel free to check my Tumblr for more stories.

* * *

 **Jughead's point of view**

 _Jughead is sitting on a fiftiesque version of Y/N's dining-room, brightly lit and full of flowers. He feels out of place and uneasy. She's next to him, which, in any other circumstance, would calm him down, but the girl's smiling in an almost creepy way. Her mother walks in with a tray of food and kisses her husband at the head of the table. Jug notices they are all dressed as if they actually ARE in the 50_ _′_ _s and the oddest of it all is that his beanie has become a crown. Y/N grabs his hand over the table and he feels something cold on her touch. When he inspects it, there's a wedding band on her ring finger. The dumbfounded boy wants to question it, but no words leave his lips. Y/F/N gives the crowned boy the tools to serve dinner. Juggie looks frontwards and suddenly Y/N's living-room becomes his dad's dark trailer. FP is slouched on the armchair, watching static on the TV while drowning himself in alcohol. Jughead feels powerless. He diverts his eyes back at the table, noticing that Y/N's parents are gone and she's crying over her creepy smile. "Why did you leave me alone, Juggie?", she pleads. Then, walking from the kitchen, comes Betty in a wedding dress. "Shouldn't you be married to me?!", the blonde girl screams._

 **Alarm Clock:**

 _5:45 AM_

The sound saves him from that nightmare. He rubs the sleep off his eyes and puts on his beanie. With his towel, toothbrush and paste, he slides on his flipflops and walks out of his "room". Alone in the deserted corridors of Riverdale High, Jughead feels like and extra in a Wes Craven movie. The still sleepy boy rests his beanie on the hanger in the locker room, relieves himself of his clothes and steps into the shower. He's been having a hard time shaking the bad feeling since he woke up. That dream looked very fanciful but something about it felt realistic, in a subconscious level. The hot water is washing away the memories from the nightmare while he convinces himself it's completely preposterous that any of that could have some link to reality. Ultimately, the boy much rather think about the kiss from the previous night.

Jughead wraps a towel around his hips and combs his hair in front of the steamed mirror. He is surprised at someone standing behind him. With a killer on the loose, that encounter made Juggie a bit jumpier than usual. Relief washes over him when he recognizes the ginger locks of his best friend. However, confusion is stamped all over the face of an oblivious Archie, who was at school that early just to practice his songs in peace and quiet. Jug runs his fingers through his still wet dark hair, trying to find a tangible answer to why he is there at 6:10 a.m. taking a shower. Arch doesn't buy his facade and pushes for the truth. An ugly truth it is. Jug shows him the closet he's been living in since the Drive-In shut down. Archie looks at the thin mattress and pillow on the floor, clothes hanged on the wall, canned food and bottled drinks on top of a forgotten furniture, a stack of books, some from the library, other his and one he got from Y/N and hasn't been able to return even having finished reading it, among other few things Jug owns.

The beanie-clad boy confesses he hasn't been living at home since his mom left because his dad couldn't keep a job after Archie's dad fired him. The bell rings and Jug is quick to close the door of his deepest secret. The concern is more than visible on his best friend's face, which makes him hide deeper how much that situation is hurting him, by pretending it's temporary. Before walking away to his first class, Jughead begs him not to tell Y/N or anyone else.

 **Y/N's point of view**

Y/N wakes up smiling. However, a little fear takes over her as if the previous night had been just a dream. Although the second she runs her fingers through her lips it's as if she's transported back to when Jug stole a kiss from her. That makes all of those times she sat alone watching Jughead also by himself at Pop's seem like it happened a million light years before. Unfortunately, it reminds her of some homework she must hand in that morning, from first to last periods, or she'll only graduate _within_ a million light years.

Still wrapped by a warm feeling from the memory of the kiss, she rushes to Riverdale High's library in order to speed read a dozen books simultaneously and complete the whole thing. Y/N's in such a hurry that she doesn't see Jug and Arch getting out of the locker room when she passes by, as well as she goes unnoticed. That was very fortunate, for she would have changed her plans without thinking twice, and some stains to their not even official relationship would be inevitable. Blame for failing isn't something she wants to put on him. Despite she's unaware, there is a force acting on their favor. It explains why Y/N feels more satisfied than usual when her papers are finished, third period is over, and her phone rings.

 **From: Jughead**

 _Meet us at the student's lounge_ _in a few :)_

 **From: Y/N**

 _See you there ;)_

Everybody is already there when she arrives. Jughead saved a spot for her on the couch with his bag, which she found very cute. She sits right next to him and Betty starts speaking pronto. The subject is her missing sister. Y/N looks at Jug and they both realize they awkwardly haven't given much thought to Polly. It makes her feel somewhat guilty, and, by Juggie's expression, she knows that him too. While the blonde continues to explain the situation, self-reproach forces Y/N to really focus on that matter and come up with a quick plan. "When we were in her room, I noticed Polly hadn't packed, so she couldn't have intended to go far." All eyes fall on her. "We can go on a search party in a 2-mile radius from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy after school today." Jughead wraps his arms around her shoulders in agreement and support, which lasts just a few seconds because all the others stare unpolitely at them. Y/N flips out internally a bit, for she wanted that moment to last a lot longer, even after a glimpse into Betty's dark personality, something that always seems to accompany those moments.

 **Jughead's point of view**

Juggie is on his way to his next class, wishing he could have given Y/N a proper good-bye, but he knows it's best to avoid embarrassment. Archie calls him to speak about family matters. As he couldn't take his dad being the one to blame for FP's situation, finding a solution was imperative. Jug wasn't too eager to accept living with them, but he jumped at the idea of his father working with Mr. Andrews. "You and Y/N, huh?", Arch ironically shoots. "We may have had a moment…" Jughead is not ready to give that a name just yet, since he hasn't even discussed it with Y/N.

Jug heads to Sunnyside Trailer Park as soon as school's over. He's hit by a load of memories, mostly bad ones. It looks worse than the last time he was there. Bottles roll as he opens the trailer's door and FP appears, visible exhaustion on his unshaved, skinny face. The glass of bourbon on his hands is exactly why Jughead hasn't been there since his mom left. Snarky comments aside, he looks genuinely interested on his son's well being. Jughead cautiously mentions Mr. Andrews' offer, just to find out his father had already refused it. He has to count to a hundred to remain calm enough not to make things more complicated and to find strong reasons to convince his dad turning around is the only move. Reasoning with FP is like punching a brick wall, though.

 **Y/N's point of view**

Jughead meets up with the rest of the group at the edge of Eversgreen Forest. Y/N quickly notices a gloomy mood on the boy, even if it looked as if he was trying his best to hide it. It seemed as the others just saw it as regular ol' Jug mood and brushed it off. She, however, had come to know him quite well just from observing him at Pop's, and more so now with their newfound friendship (relationship?). But she knows better than to talk about it now. The focus has to be on finding Polly.

They search through the woods in hopes to find Betty's sister before the authorities or worse, the Blossoms. Jughead isn't one for much words, neither is Y/N, but she's finding his silence and distance troubling. Since they started talking, they haven't really stopped, until now. They've been walking for an hour or so and he hasn't even once tried to talk about Jason's case, film theories or anything for that matter. She is just about to attempt a conversation with Jug when they get face to face with the devil. Clifford and Penelope have somehow found out about their plan to find Polly and came after them with Sheriff Keller on their side. The search party is dismissed, so Alice can make a public announcement. It's not a surprise for Y/N or Jughead but the rest of the town seems disconcerted with the news of Polly Cooper carrying Jason Blossom's baby. Y/N hopes that's enough to stop that terrible family for going after Betty's sister for a crime she obviously did not commit.

"You didn't have to walk me home." Y/N protests feebly, as Jug's hand intertwines with hers and the warmth from it shields her from the chilly drizzle. "Uh, there's a killer on the loose, remember?" Same excuse he used the first night he escorted her. "Besides, isn't this what… You know… What people like us, who've gone through what we've gone through, do?", Jughead awkwardly asks as they stop in front of her house. "Remind me, what did we go through?" Y/N doesn't quite know where this playful flirtiness comes from. Jughead slowly inches closer to her and she can enjoy a full experience of feelings emerging. This time, unlike the first one, which had a sort of desperation to it, his lips are much softer, but still just as passionate. Before they can part for air, Y/N cups Jughead's cheeks with her palms holding on to that feeling for just a second more, trying to convey through kissing that he can count on her for anything.

 **Jughead's point of view**

 **From: Archie**

 _Come to the construction site_

 **From: Jughead**

 _Why?_

 **From: Archie**

 _Just come!_

Jughead finds it weird that Arch would ask him to go there, knowing what the Drive-In meant to him, but his friend's intentions are clear when he spots FP among the working crew. The boys hang out at the office trailer and hope finds it's way into Jug's thoughts - maybe this is the time FP finally gets his act together. Jughead knows better than to trust it, though. However, his instincts don't kick in this time and, for a moment, he can almost see his sister back in Riverdale. Luckily, before his imagination takes him any further, his dad and walk in the office. Jug likes the sight of FP and Fred together so much, it'd be nice to hold on to it for just a little longer. Then, he suggests they all get a bite to eat at Pop's. It's almost as if bringing their parent's friendship back erases the possibility of Archie and him having the same fate someday.

The Chock'lit Shoppe is not crowded and they take a seat on a central booth. Conversation flows naturally between them as they eat. Jughead is almost transported to his childhood when this was a regular occurrence, before the two man drifted apart. Somehow the subject finds it's way into Jug's writing and Archie can't contain himself as to tell them about who he writes with. "Y/N, huh?" FP shifts on his seat and leans on the table. "Who is Y/N? Is that your girlfriend?", he asks with too much fatherly interest for Jug's taste. "She's…" Archie starts but Jug cuts him off. He's not ready to have that talk with his dad yet, and he hasn't even had it with Y/N in the first place. "I wanna know more about the band." He fishes back to the prior subject. "What was the name of the band?" He can only wonder how bad it was since his dad let out a loud laugh. "It was called The Fred Heads." Mr. Andrews is embarrassed to disclose it. Juggie chuckles, since it was worse then he imagined.

Archie can't help but want a jam session with his dad's old band partner. Fred leaves them in the basement since he still has a few business things to take care off. Jug doesn't really play, but watching FP and his best friend rocking out is certainly fun, until a few hard truths come out. In Jughead's book, nothing good lasts long anyways, so before he knows it, his dad is already taking a few sips out of his flask. He carries his old man all the way from Andrews' house to Sunnyside and drops him on the couch at his trailer, nothing he hasn't done before. The beanie-clad boy takes that moment to remind his dad of what he's missing out, but the man is already asleep and Jug is left wondering if JB will ever be back.

 **Y/N's point of view**

Y/N's getting some books from her locker when Archie stops next to her, looking as if he has something important to say. They have been introduced since Juggie and her started hanging out, but nothing more than that, which leads the clever girl to guess it's about Jughead. "Is there anything wrong with Jug?" She's hoping not and Arch seems to be neutral towards it, but something still feels off. "If there wasn't, there is now." The ginger boy points with his eyes behind Y/N's shoulder to Sheriff Keller walking Jughead out of school. "Call my dad.", the confused boy pleads them as they are both still in shock. Whatever Archie came to tell her is left aside as it suddenly doesn't seem that important anymore. "Do you have his dad's number?", she asks, hurriedly closing her locker with all her belongings inside so she can focus on helping Jug. "No, but I can probably get it from my dad's files." Arch leads them to Andrews Construction.

They search for the files to no luck when Fred walks in. Y/N can't even form a full sentence to explain what happened. Archie not only introduces them but brings his dad up to speed, who is quick to phone FP with his cell, unfortunately to no answer. "We can't leave Jug alone.", Arch states with conviction. "Y/N, get FP's number and keep calling while I drive us to the Station.", Mr. Andrews instructs handing Y/N his phone and they all run to his truck. When they arrive, a Deputy tells them Jughead is not being charged, just questioned about Jason's murder. "If this is about the car we found, you should be questioning me and Betty, for we were all there.", Y/N snaps and demands to know at what evidence they are holding him in, but since she's not family, they can't share it. She keeps calling FP and only reaching his voicemail.

Sheriff Keller steps out of the interrogation room and Y/N immediately follows him, demanding to speak with Jughead. If it was anyone else asking, Tom would've denied instantly. Nevertheless, considering that Y/F/N and him are high school friends, he allows her a few minutes with Jug while he discusses the boy's status with Fred. Jug is terrified that he'll become an escape goat. His voice is low and calm but his eyes are way ahead in a future none of them would like to see. She brings him back to the present with a light touch to his hands. Y/N tries her best to assure him they'll get him out, but when he asks about his dad, there's not much she can do about that, except hope that Archie and her are enough for him. Fred supplies Jug with an alibi to which Keller has no other option than to release the boy.

 **Jughead's point of view**

As they leave the station, FP finally shows up, late as usual. Jug is not surprised that instead of taking the blame for not being there, his dad tries to put it on whoever else. On any other occasion, Jughead would've been able to disguise his disappointment, but after all he went through, starting with that glimpse of hope, he doesn't have the strength to pretend, so he just tightens his hold on Y/N's hand. All Juggie manages to do is begging his dad not to make it worse and, for his relief, FP understands. However, he's put into another awkward position, one Y/N knows he has to handle on his own. Jug needs to be with the Andrews, but the last thing he wants is for his dad to think he gave up on him. The hurt boy leaves behind what he needed in that moment and that strikes something on FP, making him see what's best for Jug. An embrace from his dad is full of promises the boy hopes he'll keep. Only good of it all, when he turns back, Y/N is there to comfort him.


End file.
